Striking Freedom (Mechanical Advantage Book 6) Read online

  The agent sighed in relief. “Of course. I know several who can do that sort of work.”

  “Legal and zoned for the area.”

  “Yes, Madam.”

  “Good. Good.” Lacey nodded, and she walked the length of the building, listening for the telltale sounds of hollow spots under the floor. Her metal feet were really good at striking just the right tone.

  “Are you looking for anything specifically?”

  Lacey inclined her head. “I own sixty-three bars and cantinas around the nearest three systems. This location would be my sixty-fourth. I have an idea of what I want and am simply making sure that it meets my needs and those of my patrons.”

  She already had one cantina on the other side of Leklara. It was doing well, but she wanted another. It was best to have multiple places to hide on a planet, especially if you couldn’t blend in.

  The Leklara were a pleasant people obsessed with order and regulation. She couldn’t help but compare all the alien races she had met to creatures of myth and legend. Leklara high-caste were the most delicate of fairy-type creatures crossed with fish. The translucent skin had silvery dots that spread across their features in shiny freckles.

  The Leklara were too delicate to be used by the Splice, so their world was one that often played host to refugees. If she wanted to learn about new species, this was the world to do it on.

  “Fine. Make the arrangements, and I will authorize the paperwork. Have the contractors contact me, and I will explain my requirements.”

  The agent bowed. “Excellent. Thank you for coming to me for your business, Madam.”

  “You came highly recommended.” Lacey didn’t mention that it had been by some of the most cut-throat criminals of the age.

  She inclined her head and left the agent to conclude the documents. Lacey left the building and headed back to her shuttle. She had to keep a playdate with Windy.

  The streets were only moderately busy during the early evening. A few folks stopped and stared as she moved through the darkness with long strides.

  She was a figure from most species’ myth and legend. Even her own race would have seen the way she moved and her height and pegged her as troll or giant. Mythology was a powerful echo of how a species coped with what it didn’t understand.

  She walked to the area where she had docked her small shuttle, and she made sure it was secure before she began the communication protocol with the Splice array.

  “Hey, Windy. What are you up to today?”

  “Same old, same old. How are you doing?”

  “Pretty good. Just closing on another property. Time will tell if it is useful or not. So, Alphy and the others are looking for you now.”

  “I know.”

  “They are sending trackers out. How are you going to handle it?”

  “I will manage. I always do. I will explain it slowly and carefully. He might clue in when he finds out I can’t move.”

  Lacey smiled. Speaking with Windy kept both of them on an even keel.

  “I have to get moving. When my assigned tracker manages to catch up, I need everything ready to go. Shit is about to hit the fan.”

  “Are you really going to target Earth Defense?”

  “Of course. They are trading in human lives to enrich themselves. I am not a fan of that.”

  Windy was quiet, and then, she asked, “You haven’t told me quite what they did to you.”

  “There was an issue with my limbs. I have ended up taller if that gives you a clue.”

  “Not really. I can just nod my head, so everybody looks tall. If I saw anybody, which I don’t. Okay, you get going. I am going to want to visit your businesses one day.”

  “I will buy you a drink. Have a good night, Windy.”

  “Stay free, Lacey.”

  “Yes, dear.” She grinned. Windy had a right to be concerned, they had been communicating for years now. It was finally getting interesting.

  Once the communication was complete, she opened her mail and signed the purchase agreement for the property. She ran through the names of the contractors and examined their histories. Two were right out. They took bribes from the council to put in items that were not regulation.

  Lacey chose two contractors to interview that were known to work with the same branches of the criminal enterprise that she was. They were fine with modifications as long as they were paid, and they loved a good secret.

  She needed to interview them and make herself plain, and then, it was on to another one of her plans. The assets were piling up nicely. She was almost ready.

  Chapter Three

  Lacey was just off-world when she got the call that someone was looking for her on Ikovar and looking for Lacey, specifically. Not Lucrezia Adams. Ikovar was barely habitable, was a den of thieves and murderers, and Lacey felt at home there.

  She set her course, and she settled into her special couch for the hard acceleration. The even pressure of the sealed gel pads kept her blood from breaking her skin during the moments of gravitational interference.

  If he was seeking her out by her nickname, he was probably her assigned handler. She had a date, and boy, was he going to be surprised.

  * * * *

  Yurik watched the eight-foot figure step into the bar, holding a long staff as it walked.

  The figure stopped at the bar, and the bartender waved toward him. He nodded in response to the hood aimed in his direction.

  The figure walked toward him slowly. Conversation in the bar stopped.

  The creature stood next to his table, and then, to his surprise, it took a seat.

  The hooded figure sat in silence, but he had been told that if he wanted to find the fixer known as Lacey, he would have to speak to this particular beast in this particular bar.

  “I am looking for a human woman named Lacey.”

  The figure rumbled low. “Lucrezia Adams.”

  He blinked. “Yes. Lucrezia Adams. Known to her friends as Lacey.”

  “What do you want with her?” A robot hand extended and tapped its fingers on the table.

  “Her people want to reclaim her.”

  “Why now?” The voice was low and deep.

  “The others are safe; she is needed. She is the last of them to be found, and they are waiting for her to complete them.”

  The figure was silent, but then, it gripped its staff. “We had better be on our way then. It will take some time to get everything needed.”

  He blinked and whispered, “What?”

  The bare metal fingers reached up and pulled one side of the hood back. A brilliant and amused green eye, silky black hair, and a mouth that had no business being on this body was smiling at him.

  “Robot parts aren’t as good as cyborg, but they get me around. Now, I have to finish shopping, and then, we will be on our way.”

  Lacey got to her feet, and he watched her walk out, her hood back in place and her height enough to intimidate anyone with sense.

  Yurik got to his feet and followed. This was not the rescue he had planned.

  * * * *

  Lacey used the staff she saved for certain worlds and kept her balance as she moved quickly through the streets with her robe fluttering as her feet dug into the heavy silt that coated the ground.

  “Why are you walking so fast?”

  She chuckled and glanced back. “If you slow down, you will sink through the silt of Ikovar.”

  Yurik was keeping pace with her, but she saw the suspicion go through his thoughts. He slowed down just a little, and he started to sink. His eyes widened, and he quickly sped up.

  She headed for her warehouse, and once she opened the door, she waited for him and watched the sky.

  With a deep sigh, she closed the door. “We will be stuck here for a while. Where is your vehicle?”

  “I am at the main shuttle landing.”

  She glanced at him. “Which berth?”

  “Twelve-ten-nineteen.”

  “Good. I am going to have it brought to
shelter.” Lacey smiled and went to her terminal, talking quickly to one of the organizers near the hangar.

  “Proni, I need one of the Earth Defense ships brought into shelter.”

  “Certainly, but this close to the storm, it will cost.”

  “Of course, it will. Pilot is Yurik, berth is twelve-ten-nineteen. Get it under shelter and keep it sealed. Am I understood?”

  “Yes, Madam Lacey. My best men are already on their way to it, and the bill is on its way to you.”

  “Thank you, Proni. I will talk to you after the storm.”

  “Yes, Madam.”

  She disconnected the line and looked around to locate her guest. Yurik was standing and staring at the inside of the warehouse. “You have warships.”

  “I do. I have more at the orbital station.” She pulled her hood back and walked to stand at his side. “Would you care for some refreshments? We will be in here for at least twelve hours.”

  He gave her a curious look. “Why? Are you kidnapping me?”

  She smiled. “Ikovar is an excellent place to hide. The ground is inhospitable, it is surrounded by an asteroid field that expands into a nebula, and the weather patterns are murderous. There is a storm on the way, and it will be here within the hour. I had your ship moved to shelter. It might not be operational otherwise.”

  “Your head is completely human.”

  “Excellent. You can still spot one. Congratulations.” She quirked her lips. “I am going to have something to drink and set the autochef to prepare something using fresh ingredients.”

  “You have a working digestive system?”

  She laughed. “You are very nosey.” She walked across the width of the warehouse and walked up the staircase toward the office that she used as a home when she was trading on Ikovar.

  The autochef was stocked with her favourites. She had made sure of it during her approach. She set it to craft some ground meat and pasta with sauce, and then, she took off her outer robes and walked to the balcony to shake them off. The silt puffed out in a fine mist that was collected by a filter and pushed out of the building.

  Yurik was in the warehouse, looking at her collection of ships.

  She walked to the com and activated the broadcast. “Dinner in twenty. The power may go out, so you are better off up here with me.”

  She looked down and made sure that her clothing covered her limbs and the under robes were still in place, so just her hands and feet were exposed.

  He looked up at her and nodded. He closed the ship that he had been examining, and he walked toward her, taking the steps slowly and looking over her warehouse of spacecraft.

  He looked at her and shook his head in wonder. “I have never seen a collection like this. Most of this tech is new to me.”

  “A lot of it has been retrofitted for human use. They aren’t all Earth Defense in origin, but they can all be flown by anyone with a nanite primer.” She glanced down at her hand and then hid her hands behind her.

  “You don’t need to do that. I know you have robotic limbs.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Your adaptations are just so clean that it makes me a little more aware that I am just moving raw materials.”

  “How are they moving?”

  She chuckled. “That is a conversation that requires being seated and relaxed.”

  She led the way into her quarters, and he looked around the two thousand square feet of living space with sixteen-foot ceilings, and he exhaled slowly.

  “This place is very well appointed.”

  “I try and make sure that each one of my warehouses is comfortable, in case I need to remain for a few days or weeks.”

  She sat on one of the couches and flexed her hands.

  “Warehouses? How many do you have?”

  “More than twenty, less than seventy-five.” Lacey smiled. Her back began to twinge, and she tried to relax it. She groaned and leaned back on the cushions.

  “What is going on?”

  “Just a bit of back pain. The adaptations I have were not made for me or even for something remotely human. I have had to have them adjusted over time, and they didn’t feel great to start with.”

  He frowned and looked at his own hands. “Can I help?”

  “How?”

  “Lean forward and let me know if I find the sore spots.”

  Lacey looked at Yurik with surprise. “No one has touched me for a very long time.”

  “I promise to be circumspect, but there are places you can’t properly reach, and I can square upon them. It might give you a bit of relief.”

  Lacey thought about it, and then, she scooted forward so he could reach her back. “Please. Any relief would be welcome.”

  Yurik was surprised by her acquiescence, but he moved quickly, dropping his pack and sliding onto the couch next to her.

  The lightest touch of his hands sent spears of pain through her back. Her muscles radiated the wrongness of what they were being asked to do on a daily basis.

  “You are a mess.”

  She chuckled, swallowing so she wouldn’t whimper. “That is what it feels like.”

  He worked methodically over her back, down to her hips, and the top of her buttocks.

  She tensed when he tried to go lower. “Stop there. It is scar tissue from there.”

  He sighed. “Very well. How is it feeling?”

  “Like I am on fire.”

  He patted her shoulder. “Good. It is a start. If you allow me, I will continue with it every day.”

  “We will see how I feel tomorrow. I don’t have nanites to carry the lactic acid away.”

  “Right. Well, you are doing very well. I used to have patients sobbing and cursing at me, and they weren’t nearly as messed up as you were.”

  “You were a massage therapist?”

  “Physiotherapist. I worked with those recovering from lost limbs. I had no idea that I would end up being my own patient.”

  She chuckled as the autochef chimed, and she got to her feet. “I was going to comment on the odds of you being the man sent to find me, but then, I remember that it was Alphy and Stitch who had your file. They probably chose you deliberately.”

  “They did. They said my skills would be handy, no matter what your actual condition was.”

  She snorted. “They are rather sly. They have been trying to matchmake those of us who are out on our own.”

  “You are aware of it?”

  She chuckled. “Oh, yes. I don’t object to having men thrown at me, but when I stand up, they check their trajectories and make a run for it.”

  He chuckled. “I haven’t run yet. What is damaged can be fixed. Your mind is sound.”

  She went and watched as the autochef laid out each of the portions. She had requested more food for Yurik. He seemed like he needed the extra calories.

  She took the plates and walked them to the table. Her back hummed with the effect of the backrub, but it was relaxing to simply sit and have a meal with someone other than Windy. Talking and eating at the same time was difficult.

  “The food is ready if you would care to join me.”

  She heard him rise to his feet, and she smiled when she noted that he had obtained the utensils.

  Lacey walked to the dispenser and got them each a beer.

  He looked at the glass with some surprise. “Beer?”

  She nodded. “It took some practice to get the blend right, but now, it is fairly palatable and doesn’t rip through me like drain cleaner, so I think I have the right grains.”

  He took a sip and raised his brows. “That is the best drink I have had in six years.”

  She grinned. “It is the only beer you have had.”

  He shrugged. “True. But still very good.”

  She picked up the utensils and settled them onto the tiny magnetic points on her hand. She scooped up some of the pasta, and she bit carefully through the strands. “Sorry. I should have picked a different meal. This one is not appropriate for dainty consumption.” She
chewed and swallowed. “It’s good, though.”

  He chuckled and mimicked her technique, looking for a moment like he had just consumed something made of tentacles.

  He cut the noodles with his teeth and smiled at the taste. “I love spaghetti.”

  She grinned, and they kept eating, ignoring each other and simply stuffing their faces. It was an interesting first date.

  She was going to have to make interesting meal choices in the future. It was a good thing that she had unlimited resources and eight star systems to call upon.

  She was going to find a meal she could eat with grace and style, or she would just have to wait until she was back in a more human-formed body for the dexterity she needed to date.

  Chapter Four

  The storm struck and rattled the exterior of the warehouse just as the dishes were being fed into the cleaner.

  Yurik heard the thud, and he crouched, looking upward as if waiting for a strike to lance through the roof.

  “Ground medical forces.” She nodded and continued her work, getting them a second beer.

  “Yes. Sorry, that was embarrassing.” He stood slowly.

  “Don’t worry about it. You should hear my reaction when I hear a saw. I would be through that plate glass.” She went over to the couch that she favoured and set his beer down on the occasional table that was accessible. “We all wear our scars on the inside as well as the outside.”

  He straightened and walked over to the couch, taking the beer and having a seat. “Saw?”

  “Yeah. You have met the Splice. Do you think I was knocked out for any of this? They had my grandfather’s full cooperation, and they just strapped me down and did a hot cauterization so I wouldn’t die right away.”

  Horror filled Yurik’s features. “What?”

  She reached out with her excessively long arm. She tapped his chest where silver showed through. “I know how they did this. It wasn’t pleasant, and I know it.”

  He nodded and flexed his free hand. “But they kept us sedated and used surgical lasers to carve us up. When we were harvested and then rescued, we were put beyond what pain could truly be felt. The moments with the Splice became a memory, hazed by the atmosphere in those ships of theirs.”