[Val]

Hand in hand, Zoe and I huddled under a table in a dark alcove as scuffling footfalls passed close by. I had not noticed them on the security feed vids until they were almost upon us — the cameras did not cover everything. My knuckles whitened from the tight grip on a stunner gun, and my heart pounded hard enough that I feared it would reveal our location, once again showing that I was never meant to be a secret agent. Yet, here I am.

As they faded into the distance, one male voice cursed bitterly about his assignment. Another male voice barked in reply, "Suck it up! We won't be here much longer."

My gut twisted at his words. Whatever they might do before leaving — it can't be good.

Earlier, parting with Kate and Shera invoked an ominous tremble. I feared for them. Zoe and I actively avoided conflict, but they marched right into it. Spurred on by silent prayer, I resolved to do what I could to help them.

"Okay, it's clear again," I whispered. "They're gone."

Zoe bent her head against my shoulder. "You are so brave, Val."

"Oh, no," I countered. "Inside, I'm a quivering mess, but I have to do something to help."

Warmth spread from the gentle kiss she placed against my cheek. "That is the definition of courage."

I gathered a measure of confidence from her words. "Thank you. I needed that," I said, returning the kiss. "We are not far from the sub-station."

After a cautious peek around the corner of the curved alcove wall, I stashed the stunner under my mesh belt and we dashed down the corridor to an enlarged hatch labeled Utility Substation Alpha. After I pressed my hand against a scanner panel, the hatch swung open with the whir of servo-motors. Fortunately, my supervisor had not yet revoked my engineering access credentials. After stepping inside, I closed the door behind us and manually locked it.

Support trays guided rows of silvery conduit and black power cables along the back wall, running in and out of junction boxes. In the center of the room, two wheeled chairs occupied the space within a semi-circle of transparent control panels and display screens on a raised dais. I quickly scanned the colorful charts and numbers that monitored the station systems.

Taking a seat, I waved my hand to scroll through the panel screens until I found the pressure isolation safety systems. "There it is," I muttered as Zoe looked over my shoulder.

After switching the system to manual, I moved a series of lighted toggles with finger swipes, each operating an isolation door, then waited as the status lights changed from green to red.

"Good," I said. This will hinder the mercenary's movements, but not stop them, as eventually they will figure out how to manually open the doors. I linked my viewer to the controls, allowing remote control.

"I wonder how they are doing?" Zoe said, biting a lip.

"Let's find out," I replied, then linked a display panel to the security video feeds and scrolled to the detention area cameras. The footage brought a smile to our faces. The guards were down, the cell doors laid open as the prisoners filed out, and Kate stood in tight lip-lock with John.

Score another for the Quilters Guild. But the game was far from over.

There were still several unanswered questions that swirled in my mind. As I leaned back in the chair with eyes cast upward with a hand on my chin, Zoe asked, "What are you thinking, Val?"

"Something that mercenary said about leaving soon. What are they planning? Hell, we don't even know who they are." I swung around in the chair, facing Zoe. "And another thing, how did they take over the station so easily? There were security protocols that prevent that."

"Do you think they had inside help?"

"That is the logical explanation. But who?" The uncertainty plagued me.

"Must be someone high-up." Zoe borrowed my viewer, wrinkling her forehead as she scanned across the security footage. "I wonder..." After coming to one particular view, she curled a lip and glared, yelling, "That bastard!"

I jerked at her sudden anger. "What?"

Huffing, Zoe cast the video feed to a larger display panel with a hand motion, and the source of her fury became clear. Brennan Kurst, the Station Director and her estranged husband, stood in animated discussion with Khlo Azriel and another man in the passageway outside his quarters.

My jaw dropped. That answered one of my questions.

Zoe clenched her fists and bared her teeth, seething. "That total prick! He betrayed us all."

Unfortunately, the audio was not clear enough to make out the words. When the mystery man turned, I zoomed in on his face. He wore an expensive fitted dark suit over a stiff-collared light-blue shirt. Combined with neatly styled dark hair, sparkling brown eyes, and an artistically cut short beard, he had the look of elite privilege. I knew this guy...

"Oh, my God," I muttered. "That's Andras Toth, the founder of the Free Alliance."

"The anarchist?"

"Right. And he is rich enough to fund this operation." I turned to Zoe. "It's not Mars Dawn behind this at all."

"Why would he go to all this trouble? He could start a war," Zoe said, furrowing her forehead.

A chill crawled down my spine. "Maybe that's what he wants."

Slumping, Brennan placed a hand on the scan-panel and the hatch opened to his quarters. Khlo and Andras followed him inside and beyond any sort of monitoring.

With a sigh, I said to Zoe, "I wish we had footage inside his cabin."

"That, I can get you," she replied with a sly grin. "I still have access to the settings." With a few manipulations on her com-viewer, she turned off the interior privacy block. "There."

The footage came on, video and audio. Brennan sat at a messy desk, running a hand through thinning light-brown hair. Andras stood in front of the desk, arms crossed and dark eyebrows drawn down, while Khlo leaned against him, a hand draped on his shoulder.

"Look, I don't know why the security monitoring system is down," Brennan muttered. "I gave you the access codes."

I grinned — that was my doing. When I tapped into the security monitor feeds, I cut them off from the central server.

Andras let out a long breath and shook his head. "We had higher expectations from you, Mr. Kurst. First, we lost the Ark Hope, several of my team are missing, and still, due to your incompetence, we are blind to most areas of the space station. Most disappointing, Mr. Kurst. I paid you a great deal of money, and I expected a return on my investment."

Raising my fists, I pumped the air. "Yay for the Quilters Guild!"

On the vid, Brennan lifted weary eyes. "You said nothing about the ballistic missiles. Why do you need them?"

Zoe and I gulped simultaneously. Did he say missiles?

"I have no obligation to disclose everything to you," Andras replied, frowning.

"But you said you would minimize casualties," Brennan whimpered, his voice trailing off.

Andras' eyes shot fire. "If you recall, Mr. Kurst, the agreement was that I would minimize casualties in the station, not elsewhere. Now, give me the station operation codes!"

Bowing his head, Brennan typed a series of characters on his tablet-viewer and then passed it to Khlo.

"Very good, Mr. Kurst," Andras said with a nod. "You shall remain in your quarters. And pray that I do not endure further disappoint. Do you understand, Mr. Kurst?"

"Yes," he replied meekly, head down.

Andras and Khlo closed the office door behind them, leaving Brennan behind. They appeared as silhouettes in the low light while pausing next to the hatch.

"He is becoming a liability, my love," Khlo purred, moving into Andras' arms.

"True. But we need him for now. His demise will come later." Andras bent down and pressed his lips against hers as she wrapped arms around his neck. "Soon, my dear," he said after breaking the kiss, but holding her tightly. "We stand at the eve of greatness. Soon, shall we usher in a new dawn for humanity."

"With us in charge?"

"Of course. Who better to guide them?"

My mouth gaped. So, that's the endgame. What megalomaniac insanity inspired them?

"Oh, my God," Zoe said, rolling her eyes, concisely summarizing my thoughts.

My fingers fluttered across my com-viewer's virtual keyboard as I informed the Quilters Guild network, attaching the incriminating video. After a few moments, while presumably they watched the video, the responses poured in.

Greta: OMG

Harley: The Anarchist and the She-Devil in love? I almost barfed!

Ma: Doesn't that just dill your pickle. Knew it wasn't Mars Dawn.

Mona: What does he want?

Val: To start a war! We need to find those missiles!

Kate: Cassy, you on?

Cassy: Yeah.

Kate: You and Eric look for those missiles. And tell Space Command about this so they don't do something stupid.

Cassy: Okay. What are you going to do, Kate?

Kate: Kick arse.

Ma: Val, you and Zoe okay?

Val: Yes. We'll see what else we can find out.

Ma: Okay quilters, when the twister hits the outhouse, crap gonna fly. So y'all keep your heads down and stay safe.

I turned to Zoe. "How about you and me visit your scumbag husband?"

She tightened her lips, drew her eyebrows down, and nodded. "He has some explaining to do."

*****

Brennan turned deathly pale when he looked up from his desk, finding Zoe and me glaring at him with our arms crossed. The half-empty bottle of vodka beside him explained the glazed eyes and why it was so easy to sneak up on him.

"What have you done, Brennan?" Zoe spat in a caustic tone.

Wavering in his seat, he slurred his reply, half sobbing. "No one was s-supposed to get hurt. He... He was just going to shake up the political system, that's all."

"Where are the missiles?" I asked point blank.

"They'll kill me if I say."

"They'll kill you, anyway." I slapped down my viewer on the desk and pulled up the video part where Andras and Khlo discussed Brennan's future involvement, implying an unfavorable outcome for him.

Placing hands on his bowed face, he cried, "Oh, God..."

Zoe's eyes blazed, and Brennan jerked when she pounded the desk with her fists, yelling, "You profane God's name. Where are the damn missiles?"

"I swear," he burbled. "I didn't know about the missiles or what they planned to do with them."

"They're ballistic missiles above Mars. What do you think they will use them for?" As her husband trembled, Zoe blew out a breath and calmed her voice. "Brennan, this is your only chance for redemption, to make right with God. The lives of countless innocent people are at stake. Tell us where the missiles are. Please."

"On a satellite platform," he replied in a strained voice. "In geosynchronous orbit about fifty kilometers east. And whatever they plan to do, it will be soon."

Zoe lifted her eyes to mine, now more wounded than angry. So great had this betrayal been. With a deep breath, I nodded an affirmation, and then took up my com-viewer to relay the information to Cassy.

I turned back to Brennan and said, "What about the Ark Hope nuke? Why was it targeted?"

"He didn't care about the Ark Hope," Brennan answered, turning his gaze away. "Andras said it was fake. Just meant to cause chaos."

"It was real enough. Many would have died, including me." I caught Zoe's eyes and said, "Let's go." With one last scornful glance, we turned toward the door.

"Wait... Zoe," Brennan said, standing while extending a quivering hand. "What do I do now?"

She twisted her head around to him and blew a huff out of her nose. "I don't care, Brennan. Just stay out of our way."

Nearby the cabin hatch, I placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder and gazed into her deep blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Zoe."

"I'm not," she replied, collapsing into my arms. "That part of my life is over, and a new chapter begins. One I wish to share with you, Val, if you would have me."

Caressing Zoe's cheek, I whispered, "Yes. I would have you."

The way back to the sub-station was surprisingly unhindered, the mercenaries seemingly abandoning this sector of the station. But perhaps, not so surprising — the Ark Hope's departure and the jailbreak likely drew their attention.

I sat before the control panels and scanned the system monitor readings again. Something earlier still bothered me, gnawing at the back of my mind. Why did Andras want the station operation codes? They just allowed administrative control of the utility and non-emergency com systems. What was he planning with them?

One possibility sent a chill down my spine. Furiously, I flipped through the screens until I came to the fusion reactor control interface, confirming my fears. "Oh, no," I muttered.

"What?" Zoe asked, peering over my shoulder.

I pointed at the red blinking warnings on the control screen. "They bypassed all the fusion reactor safety systems and locked me out. Now, whenever they want, they could initiate a containment breech in the central hub."