Breaking the Minder Read online

  “Deal. Are you ready, Zeeat?”

  “I am ready, Lady Equilar.”

  “Good. Our ride is waiting.” Equilar kissed her great grandchildren, hugged Fixer and nodded to Zeeat.

  It was time to leave.

  The shuttle was elegant and well appointed. It was the perfect conveyance for someone of Equilar’s rank, and when Zeeat read the mission briefing, it was clear to her why they were in such a ship.

  Zeeat was now Zeeat Yumant of Jiankani. Woman of independent means and of good family. It was close enough to the truth that she would be able to sell it.

  The target she was seeking was Minder Urado. He had gone missing three years earlier, and none of the Minders sent to track him had ever returned.

  This time, the Minders were at a distance and Zeeat was going in. When she found Urado, she was to disable him and bring him back to a pickup point for retrieval.

  Equilar would be there to help her embed with the local society, and that is where she would find the clues that would lead to her prey. The suspicion was that Urado was operating a psychic intoxication centre.

  Zeeat was going in as a socialite in the hope that she would be invited into the circle. She would have to play the part of a young woman who was bored with the experiences that wealth could bring. Her talent for mimicry was going to come in very handy.

  Seers and trackers had found that she was the best candidate to complete this mission successfully. Zeeat was hoping that she could be worthy of their faith. With a lifetime in the abbey, faith was something she had experience with.

  With three hours until they made it to the transfer station, she studied all she could about Urado and the wealthy elite of Ikappi.

  This was not going to be a fun assignment for someone used to an austere life.

  Equilar came to her an hour into her studies. “You need to be wearing something than can be confiscated. Something that seems innocent but will keep them from suspecting you. If you come in too clean, you will stand out.”

  Equilar extended a box containing jewellery that could cover Zeeat from neck to hips.

  “Um. Wow. What does it have in it?”

  “The younger set like to see what they are experiencing and play it back later. It has cameras in nearly every gem and setting. The recorders will be invisible to most security, but the high-end clubs will have monitors to find them. They will be interested in keeping recordings of the news vids.”

  “Of course.” Her instruction had included how to wear the jewels, but she never thought she would have to put it into practice.

  She looked over the display and set the box on her bed, pulling out a heavy collar of gems and matching cuffs. Her clothing shifted into a sleek and tailored dress with tattooed bands running down her thighs until the filigree formed into boots from the calf down.

  “Well done, Zeeat. You have made excellent choices. Even your neckline is appropriate.”

  Zeeat smirked. “It is hardly around my neck. It is nearly to my navel.”

  “And it will make you fit right in with those who have more money than sense. You have memorized your portfolio?”

  “I have.”

  “Good. Your account is keyed to your biometrics. You are now Zeeat Yumant, heiress and socialite.”

  Zeeat straightened her shoulders, put a smug expression on her face and cloaked her mind with matching emotions. “Thank you for your tutelage, Lady Equilar. I will take it from here.”

  Equilar smiled and nodded. “I think you will.”

  The customs official looked at her with her jewel case and ran a few polite scans. “Welcome to Zsabruk Station, Lady Yumant.”

  She didn’t smile at him. She swept past him and into the VIP lounge of the station. Lady Equilar joined her, and they went for cocktails while they waited for their luxury transport to arrive.

  “I hope that Ikappi is everything you have said, Equilar. I need something... interesting.”

  “I am sure you will be able to find something, Zeeat. It will be a lively time. I assure you.”

  They settled in and chatted about holiday spots and fashion until the subtle chime told them that the ship was arriving.

  It was time to go under cover, all the way.

  Chapter Three

  She sat in the solar lounge and swirled her drink with her eyes nearly shut. The two laughing women saw her and looked her over.

  Zeeat sat back and watched them approach.

  “Excuse me, is that Myrin crystal?” The woman with the slashed stripes across her features twitched her nose.

  Zeeat slowly opened her eyes. “No, it isn’t.”

  She could feel their emotions and that they were impressed she hadn’t lied to make more of herself.

  Her crystal-clear eyes were disconcerting according to Lady Equilar, so she looked them over with bored calm.

  The women blinked and shuffled closer. Her talent drew folks to her, and it had made her an excellent aba. They trusted her and wanted to be with her because she consciously radiated what they wanted.

  “May we join you?” the ladies murmured.

  Zeeat inclined her head. “If you like.”

  It was that simple. She only needed to appear to be a wealthy, disinterested woman, and those weaker than she would flock to her side.

  Teserra and Makuran were both on route to Ikappi, and they had been before. They gave Zeeat a list of places to visit and sent her their contact details.

  A few hours before they would be in Ikappi space, her entourage asked her something that had obviously been bothering them.

  Teserra whispered, “Why do you hang out with the Moreski?”

  “Lady Equilar? Well, as the rest of her kind are behind a shield, it makes her rare. Also, she is exceptionally wealthy. That makes her a good woman to know.”

  The two Kiatho women looked at each other. “She is?”

  “Of course. Age is an asset. My people understand that. Lady Equilar has experience, knowledge and connections. Never underestimate experience.”

  She let that soak in and sipped at another cocktail. She wasn’t affected by normal intoxicants, but no one needed to know that. Her blood alcohol level registered as perpetually intoxicated and that was good enough.

  To her private and un-displayed amusement, the young women asked to be introduced to Equilar.

  The path was set; it was time to experience Ikappi.

  She would have imagined that the life of an intelligence agent would have been exciting. She was wrong and right.

  Not being herself and pretending to be bored with the escapades was the hardest part. The less she reacted, the more her companions tried to impress her, to get her to experience something the way they did.

  Nightclubs came and went. Beaches, spas, nothing managed to make her express what they wanted to see. They wanted to see her amazed and stunned.

  Zeeat met men and women from all over the galaxy and committed them all to memory. None were the Minders from the file.

  Teserra nearly ran into her. “Zeeat! We have it!”

  She looked at them idly. “What?”

  “Makuran has secured us passes for the experience tonight.”

  “The what?”

  Teserra leaned forward and whispered, “The experience. All of your dreams come true for one night.”

  “I have never heard of such a thing. Is it a brothel?” Zeeat smiled.

  “No. It is something that you can’t find anywhere else. It is a true submersion into your own fantasies and desires.”

  “You are joking.”

  “No. I am not. We go, and if we are accepted as guests... we live every fantasy we have in one night.”

  Zeeat let a slow smile creep over her face, lighting her eyes and showing a glow of anticipation. “Whatever should I wear to live out my fantasies?”

  Teserra laughed and clapped her hands in delight. Zeeat let her friend haul her off to work on selecting the per
fect outfit for the evening with Makuran giggling in triumph.

  Zeeat turned from side to side and smiled. The heavily embossed bodysuit suited her mood, though it scandalized her companions. She wore only the recording cuffs and a single pendant.

  They took a private skimmer to the destination.

  “Are you sure that this is the place?” Zeeat looked to Makuran.

  “I am sure. This is the global position and so, this is the place. Over here.” Makuran took charge and led them into the open, grassy meadow.

  The trip through the low grass was easy for Zeeat and her bodysuit. It was less easy on Teserra and Makuran and their wrapped and gauzy silks.

  Makuran let out a small sound as a pillar rose from the grass. “This is it.”

  They gathered around it as Makuran pressed her hand to the ident pad on the top of the pillar. Teserra pressed her hand next and, finally, Zeeat palmed the lock.

  A holographic display projected above them, and it ran through their identities and showing the word Clear under each one.

  “What now?” Zeeat asked it in a wry tone.

  As if to answer her, a nearby circle of grass rose until an elevator was visible. The door opened in invitation.

  Teserra grinned. “Shall we?”

  “Well, we got dressed up and have come all this way. Why not?” Zeeat smirked.

  Together, they stepped into the elevator and stood together as the door closed and they were pulled deep into the soil of Ikappi.

  When the door opened, it was less of a nightclub and more of a lab. A smiling greeter stepped toward them.

  “Welcome, ladies. Are you prepared for the experience of several lifetimes?”

  They nodded in unison.

  Zeeat smiled and said, “I will settle for the experience of one lifetime.”

  The woman inclined her head. “Once the experience begins, you will be led through a stream of consciousness that will take you to the most joyful and darkest places in your soul. You control your experiences.”

  The girls showed their excitement, and Zeeat followed suit. She laughed as they were escorted into the deep tunnels, and they passed rooms with couples and groups speaking about their experiences.

  “We bring in the invited a few hours apart, but there is always someone here in the experience.”

  Zeeat touched one cuff with the fingers of her right hand.

  “Ah, Lady Yumant. I am afraid your recording devices will not work here.”

  She shrugged. “I was not counting on it. There is something a little unsettling in the air.”

  “That is the mastermind. He is calibrating himself to each of you as you approach the centre. The last group is being detached from him right now. They will recover in one of the chambers we passed, and when they are able to, they will leave with only fading memories of the best night of their life.”

  Zeeat nodded but asked, “It is a great deal to ask for a faded memory.”

  Her companions looked at her in surprise.

  The greeter raised her brows. “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, if the mastermind is constantly working, it sees our fantasies. We are in an orgy of sorts.”

  The greeter smiled. “Oh, yes, well, the sharing is the price. The more we can see the guests’ fantasies, the more Ikappi can tailor its entertainments to the greater needs of those who visit.”

  It was a nice way of saying that the fantasies were logged and stored.

  Zeeat smiled politely, and the greeter opened a door to a wide chamber with three beds in it. Each bed had a halo and a tech standing by.

  Zeeat could feel the mind scrabbling at hers. Her companions began to move in a dreamlike state, and she followed. The greeter guided them into the beds, and the halos were slid over their heads.

  Zeeat watched the coloured lights that were designed to keep her in a hypnotic state.

  With the mind on her own and the lights numbing her senses, she let the mastermind take her in.

  * * * *

  Zeeat looked around her as she stood on the plain near the abbey. “Not precisely a fantasy but definitely mine.”

  She stared at the familiar structure but walked away from it and headed to the only thing she didn’t recognize. There was a mountain in the distance, and she focused on it.

  The pile of rock was a rich violet and definitely not from her own memory. She focused on it and started a hike in her own mind that took her to somewhere she had never imagined.

  Each step pulled her hundreds of metres toward the stones, and as she got closer, she saw creatures flying through the sky.

  “This is definitely different.”

  Talking out loud was not strictly necessary, but it grounded her. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel connected to the world outside.

  Months of working with Minders trying to claw their way into her head and she had just let this one join his mind to hers. If she could find a way, she would lead him out.

  It shook her that she could be so positive that it was Urado, but as she saw the small creatures similar to Drai in the sky, she knew that he was sending her a signal.

  Urado grew up on a world with the flying beasts. They called them exsko.

  Her steps took her to the foothills, and she could see the exsko close-up. Standing, they would be nearly as tall as her hip with gossamer wings that fluttered and flapped.

  The creatures stopped their random patterns and worked themselves into a spiral. Knowing an invitation when she saw one, Zeeat followed the direction and made her way into the dark purple hills.

  After she had slipped for the third time, she sighed, “You know, Urado, you could simply give me a path.”

  A small butterfly from her own memories fluttered past her.

  “Oh. Right. My mind so my dream. My dream is to find you.” She held the focus, and the rocky path lowered into a smooth track that coursed deep into the hills.

  The air cooled; she felt the frosty touch of it against her skin, but she kept going. Her suit was with her in her thoughts, and it insulated her during her hike.

  Hours in her mind were less than seconds in the living world, and she could only imagine that the readouts were not giving the techs what they were looking for.

  * * * *

  “Greeter, we have an issue.” The tech monitoring Lady Yumant was nervous.

  “What?”

  “He has grabbed hold of this one like he does with Minders. His mind is so meshed with hers, I can’t tell where he starts and she begins.” The tech ran his hands through his hair.

  “Take her to long-term storage. We will try to pry her out, but if it doesn’t work we will simply scrub her from her companions’ memories.” The greeter shrugged. “Rich bitches like her are plentiful.”

  “Yes, Madam.” The tech uncoupled the bed and wheeled it down the hall with the woman’s mind barely flaring and the brainwave of the mastermind burning bright on her readouts.

  It was a pity. Her bodysuit was lovely and the jewellery was expensive. Someone somewhere was going to miss her, but that was up to the greeter.

  * * * *

  An earthquake ran through the hills. Zeeat staggered and looked around. The lights in the sky were flickering and that could only mean one thing. They were moving her.

  “Well, it seems I have either done something very right or very wrong.”

  One of the exsko landed near her and let out a low trill. She took the hint and followed it as it entered a cavern that appeared out of nowhere.

  Minds were funny places, and she had seen enough to know that she was entering a subconscious. The exsko made another trilling sound and wandered ahead of her toward a light deep in the darkness.

  The hike into Urado’s mind was long and exhausting, but when she reached the centre, the exsko chirped happily.

  The happy noise was belied by the vision in front of her. A man was sitting on a throne, but he was chained to it.
Probes were in his skull, and bands held him fast. He was king of all he surveyed and unable to move a muscle.

  “Urado, I presume?”

  The man in the chair opened crystal white eyes, and he stared at her. “What are you?”

  Rich purple hair cascaded over his shoulders and down his back.

  Zeeat smiled and stepped toward him. “I am a visitor who has followed a trail into this cave.”

  His body was still muscled, and the small jumps under his skin showed the means by which they were keeping him so. The lack of clothing made his musculature all the more obvious, and his body was familiar to her in a general sense. “No freaking way.”

  He blinked and slowly enunciated. “I beg your pardon?”

  She drew closer to him. “You are Jiankani.”

  “Something similar. Uranako. How do you know the Jiankani?”

  She grinned. “I am one. Damn, no wonder that our minds fit.”

  He paused. “Wait. What are you seeing right now?”

  She described the attachments, the bindings and the leads making his muscles jump.

  He scowled. “How are you seeing me?”

  “You are set up to grant fantasies. I wanted to see a representation of your physical situation.” She shrugged. “I have no idea if this is the true expression of your body, but it seems to be accurate for someone whose mind is their primary asset.”

  He blinked slowly. “You wanted to see me? How did you even know I was here? I am trying to get through the barriers in your mind, but I can’t reach past what you are showing to me.”

  “They aren’t barriers. That is my mind. I have an alternative arrangement.” She cocked her head. “So, what do you see when you look at me?”

  He narrowed his brilliant white eyes and smiled. “I have no idea what I am seeing, but I am interested in finding out.”

  Chapter Four

  Urado gave her a serious look. “May we take this to somewhere more comfortable?”