Ruin of Dragons Page 17

  When she finally did speak, her lips barely opened, and her voice was drawn. "How do we play this?" Mira finally looked up, meeting his eyes, and Aris could see a barely concealed fury just beneath the surface that startled him more than any outburst would have.

  "From both sides," Aris said, trying to sound confident. Mira's brow creased. "You still have archive access, right?" he continued.

  Mira nodded. "Yes," she said, clearly trying to work out where Aris was going with this.

  "We'll drop you at Aelden," he said. "I need you to find me everything your people know about dragons as a species."

  "Wouldn't the Sanctuary have a more complete set of data?"

  "Scientific data, yes," Aris nodded. "Avernus can tell me all about a dragon's physiology, but what I need is social heirarchy, history, mythology. That kind of thing usually gets lost to time, and the elves have been around far longer than anyone else in this part of space."

  Mira took a moment to mull that over, then nodded. "What about you?"

  Aris gestured to himself and Gareth. "We'll head back to Avernus."

  Mira looked surprised. "Are you actually going to try to get what she wants?" she asked.

  Aris smiled. "Not for her. But she's right about one thing."

  "Which is?" Gareth said.

  "It would take a lot more than just one rogue dragon to cause the damage we've seen, requiring more than just a couple of missing blind units." Aris sighed. "Which means there is someone on the inside."

  • • •

  Petra struggled against the much stronger arms wrapped around her torso as she was dragged around the corner back into the main corridor. She managed to twist herself sideways and free an arm, drawing back to aim a blow at her attacker, who she was abruptly turned to face—

  "Bran?" she stopped short – then changed her mind and hit him anyway. "What are you doing? You're gonna get me in trouble!"

  Branson Tachett was gesturing for her to lower her voice as he pulled her back out the way she had come into the grand commons, checking cross corridors as they went and generally trying to stay out of sight as much as possible.

  "You're already in trouble," Bran said as he led her into an alcove off the main corridor.

  "He was taking me to the transport authority," Petra protested.

  "No, he was taking you to holding. You're on sovereign soil without so much as a multipass, the only reason you didn't already have an armed escort is because you don't pose a threat."

  Petra raised an eyebrow, looking insulted. "Give me my staff and I'll whip your—"

  "I mean you're human, and you're unarmed," Bran interrupted. "You do know elves are a lot stronger than us, right?"

  Petra looked confused for only a split second. "Of course I do," she lied.

  "Come on," Bran said, leading her back out into the corridor then up to an unmarked door that opened after a second. "If you weren't in trouble before, you are now," he said as they entered another small empty room, the door closing behind them. "They'll be looking for you."

  "I told you."

  "Don't blame me," Bran said. "I just saved you from being locked in an empty room while they run background checks and refuse to answer any of your questions. You may have seen daylight eventually."

  "Why, what is this place? And why are you immune?"

  "This is Aelden's capital," he said. "We're in the Archive wing of the Council complex. And I have a merchant pass, though it'll probably be revoked if they find us this far inside."

  "Then maybe we shouldn't be hiding in a closet," Petra said.

  "It's not a closet, it's a lift," Bran said. At that, the doors opened, and Petra was confronted by a completely different view. They stepped out, and she realized they were back on one of the upper levels, across the atrium from where Cray had led her from the receiving dock. As Bran stepped aside she also realized she was standing mere feet from the glass railing that circled the immense chasm that was the central atrium chamber.

  "Oh…" she said, her stomach lurching a bit as she involuntarily stepped back toward the wall behind her.

  "You all right?" Bran asked.

  "Well, I'm discovering I have a fear of heights." She allowed herself a nervous chuckle. "Who knew?"

  "Perfect," Bran said, grabbing her hand. "Come on, we need to get back to the ship."

  "Wait, I just got here," Petra said, planting her feet and forcing Bran to turn back to her. "And Cray said there's a network terminal where I can find what I'm looking for."

  Bran was losing patience. "Yeah, in the transport office, where we're not going."

  "Well, surely it's not the only one in the building," Petra pointed. "I mean aren't we in a giant library?"

  "Not that kind of library. This is a cultural archive; you've got to have Council authorization just to be in the building, never mind gaining access. And anyway you're not an elf."

  Petra crossed her arms. "Well, we're already in the building…"

  "There's no time. Cap'll be taking off soon and I need to get back."

  "Then go," Petra said, "but I'm not leaving."

  Bran looked incredulous. "Really? You have no idea where you're going or what you're looking for, and I'm willing to bet you can't read elvish."

  Petra didn't budge. "I'll take my chances."

  "You can't be serious."

  "I'm not going back empty handed," she persisted.

  Bran took a breath, closed his eyes, appearing to concentrate. After a moment, he exhaled then looked back at Petra. "You won't last five minutes without me," he said, taking out his handheld. "Cap? Tachett. I'm going to be delayed for a bit, better take off without me. I'll catch up." He winced as he listened to the voice on the other end. "I— Yes, I know," he continued, wincing again. "What? Stow away? No, I don't know anything about that." He rolled his eyes. "I know. Look, I'll make it up to you. I gotta go, okay?" He closed the handheld and turned to Petra with a slightly exasperated look on his face. "There, now we're both in trouble. Happy?"

  Petra grinned. Bran took her hand again, leading her in the opposite direction. "They're already asking about you at the ship, so we need to make you a bit less conspicuous."

  "Good luck," Petra scoffed, but found Bran appraising her thoughtfully. "What?" she said.

  "Well, you're tall and your hair's light enough. We get you the right clothes, you might pass for an elf…"

  random access

  "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Petra frowned, adjusting a strap on her tunic. They were standing in a storage closet, Bran having found a supply of staff uniforms. Petra fidgeted, trying to cinch the waist to make it look like it actually fit. The problem with standard issue togs was they were invariably either too short in the arms and legs, or too wide around the middle.

  While she struggled with the uniform, Bran had pulled the tie out of her hair and was now trying to arrange the loose strands to look purposeful. "Relax, you look fine." he said, though her hair was wavy and very full and seemed to have a mind of its own.

  She slapped at his hands and ran her own fingers through the front tendrils, pulling them away from her eyes. "My hair's everywhere."

  He stepped back, appraising her. "It's covering your ears, that's the important thing."

  "I'm not really convinced that's going to be enough…"

  "Trust me," Bran said with a smirk.

  They stepped out into the corridor and started making their way back toward the center of the building. Only this time, Bran made no visible attempt to keep out of sight, instead strolling casually up the middle of the corridor. Petra, however, was nervous, and kept looking behind her as they walked, frequently getting ahead of Bran, her pace quickening at each cross corridor.

  "Slow down," Bran said from behind her.

  "Sorry," Petra said, realizing she probably looked
paranoid and trying to keep her hands from fidgeting with the hem of her tunic.

  Bran recognized her discomfort, and his voice softened "Just act natural," he said as he matched pace with her.

  "You don't know me very well, do you?"

  "Act like you're supposed to be here," Bran amended.

  They continued walking, occasionally passing people who – much to Petra's surprise – paid absolutely no attention to them. Her breathing slowed down and she appeared to relax a bit, though she tensed slightly as their corridor emptied out into the main rotunda, and the expansive open atrium extended upward in front of them.

  "Where are we heading?" she asked.

  Bran pointed up to the walkway closest to the domed ceiling at the top of the building. "There. The upper levels should have terminal rooms a bit more out of the way."

  "Oh," Petra swallowed. "Good."

  They found a lift and made their way to the upper floors, which housed sections of the older archive collections including document libraries, rare texts, and all solid-state media, as well as a bay of individual terminal rooms typically used for personal research. They took the circular walk around the upper atrium toward the terminal rooms on the opposite side, Petra keeping closer to the wall than the railing.

  Some distance ahead, between them and the terminal room, a lone elf exited a lift corridor and started their direction. Wearing a helmet, a tactical uniform and a sidearm at her hip, she looked like a member of a security detail. Petra immediately tensed and edged closer to Bran. They had passed a number of people on their way here, but this one was the first that looked official.

  The elf slowed a fraction as she noticed them, and her gaze drew immediately up to Petra.

  "She's looking at me," Petra whispered.

  "Stay calm," Bran said, taking her hand to keep her from dropping back.

  "She's walking this way," Petra said, a nervous laugh escaping.

  "Stay calm," Bran repeated.

  The elf approached, now deliberately facing them. Petra looked down at her feet, as Bran attempted to draw the elf's attention.

  "Hi," he said with an air of nonchalance.

  The elf stopped in front of them, still looking directly at Petra. "You seem a bit lost," she said, finally turning to Bran. "Can I help you find something?"

  He shrugged. "We're just looking for a quiet terminal." The elf regarded him for brief moment before turning back to Petra.

  "Forgive me, but you seem familiar. Have we met?"

  Petra didn't face her directly but looked sideways at her through wisps of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. "I'm not sure that's possible," she said, her voice soft.

  The elf appraised Petra for a moment, then nodded. "No … I suppose not." She turned back to Bran, her voice becoming authoritative again. "Was General Access full?"

  "Um, it's … something a bit personal," he admitted, "and she didn't want anyone looking over her shoulder."

  The elf took a long moment, looking from one to the other, before turning to Bran with a tight smile. "A bit of privacy, then?"

  "It's not what you think," Bran said, embarrassed.

  "I'm sure," the elf said with a knowing look, gesturing behind her. "There's an empty terminal room at the end of the hall."

  "Thank you," Bran said, and started past, but the elf stopped Petra and leaned in close. "You shouldn't linger," the elf said, her voice low. "This area has high restrictions, and you'll likely have shown up on surveillance by now."

  Petra was surprised. "Surveillance?"

  Bran, recognizing the opportunity they had just been presented, interrupted. "Let's go," he said, then turned to the elf. "Thank you."

  The elf nodded, then continued on her way. After a few paces, she stopped and turned, watching the two enter the first private terminal room in the row before continuing to her own destination, a wide set of glass double doors that she opened with a key card.

  The elf entered the chamber beyond, the doors closing and locking behind her with the hiss of equalizing pressure. She pulled off her helmet, a cascade of long platinum hair falling down her back. She placed the helmet on the entry desk as she stepped up to the first of many alcoves, a long double row of environmentally sealed cases containing ancient leather-bound volumes. Her silver eyes glinted as she allowed herself a wide grin.

  "Veil to Castle," she said. "I'm in."

  • • •

  Aris rounded the corner from the landing bay concourse into Avernus’ main corridor. He turned and caught Gareth's eye as he heard Mira’s voice over his communicator, the wizard only two steps behind.

  "You have any trouble?" Aris asked.

  "Not yet," Mira's voice came across. "The eyes in this building are currently distracted looking for someone else."

  "Good, use it," Aris said. "Keep me apprised."

  "Acknowledged. Veil out."

  Gareth caught up. "She in?"

  Aris nodded. "Works fast. You all set?"

  Gareth shrugged. "As much as possible. I still have some level of clinical access. Won't get me everywhere, but I can at least poke around."

  "You have a plan?" Aris asked.

  "Nope," Gareth admitted. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

  Aris rolled his eyes. "That's the spirit."

  "I mean I get sending Mira to Aelden," Gareth continued. "The elves are obsessive when it comes to stockpiling historical arcana, and we'll need every piece of dragon lore we can get our hands on, but I can't see what we could possibly unearth here without breaching seven kinds of protocol."

  "Well hopefully we won't have to," Aris said. "Look for anything out of the ordinary. New equipment, new tech, anything that would be out of place in our ship's supply. If you stick to the areas you wouldn't be unexpected in, you should be good." He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's time for a surprise inspection."

  Gareth frowned. "I … don't really get to do those anymore."

  "Yeah, but is that common knowledge?" Aris said.

  Gareth paused as he considered this. "Good point."

  "Be careful," Aris said as they reached the first major interchange. "I don't imagine we have a lot of time."

  "Understood," Gareth said before splitting off from the main corridor. "Good luck."

  Aris nodded then continued on, leaving Gareth to make his way toward the clinical complex.

  Instead of heading for the main complex terminus off the Inner Ring, he split off into a side corridor about halfway down that took him to one of the rear staff entrances to the complex closest to the technician housing sections. Most of the noncritical systems were accessible from there and gaining access to some of the more sensitive areas would be easier to do from the inside rather than trying a more direct approach from the front.

  Gareth wandered up through various laboratory divisions, encountering almost no others along the way. It was local evening, and the majority of the primary shifts had closed for the day, leaving most sections empty, a fortuitous circumstance Aris had been determined to take advantage of once they had landed.

  Gareth exited into an ancillary access corridor and took it around to the back of the tech department. If there was any new field technology being developed, that would be where he would most likely find it.

  He slowed down as he approached the entryway, looking sideways through the windows as he walked, hoping the lab areas would be as empty as the corridors. Thankfully, there was no one visible, and he stepped up to the doorway, pulling out his access card.

  He was met, however, with a red light and an angry beep as his card was declined. "Hmm," Gareth frowned. "Off limits." It had, after all, been several years since he had been involved behind the scenes at the Sanctuary in any significant capacity. Before he had joined Aris's extraction team, he had been on the medical staff, occasionally working on emergency c
ases returning from the field, but more often than not simply acting as an on-site service medic.

  After transitioning to field agent, he was no longer needed in acute care areas, though he kept a general access to most nonsensitive departments and work areas. He had hoped that would extend to Technology Development, though it really wasn't a surprise that it didn't.

  He put his card away and considered his options. He didn't have the technical acumen to rewire the locking mechanism while avoiding the security measures that were surely in place. His bioelectric field was occasionally strong enough to trigger electronically activated doors, but he didn't have the kind of minute control over it that would be needed to circumvent the identification passcodes. And physically forcing the door open was right out of the question.

  He was in the process of examining the card reader input when he noticed movement at the far end of the room. He stepped left away from the window, out of direct line of sight and waited. There was a slight reflection of the room in the glass on the opposite side of the corridor, and Gareth watched as a figure traveled through the room, paused to pick up something off a table, then finally angled toward the exit.

  He heard a hiss as the inner door opened, a click as the outer lock released, and as the door slid open, Gareth took a breath, stepped forward, and stumbled headlong into the technician coming out of the laboratory.

  "Oh god," Gareth said, reaching out to steady himself by grabbing the other man's shoulders, while pivoting and putting one leg back to keep the outer door from closing. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you—"

  "No, no," the tech said, catching his balance as he looked up at the wizard towering over him. "It's all right." The man smiled, nodding and looking himself over, then turned abruptly and continued down the hall.

  Gareth smiled as he watched the man walk away. "Don't worry," he said once the tech was out of earshot. "I wasn't trying to steal your badge or anything." He turned around, walked through the outer door and stepped up to the inner door keypad. "However," he continued, entering a six-digit number, "I appreciate you keeping your passcode at the front of your mind."