Company Assassin

1

Z

The acrid jungle air thickened with the sweet, unmistakable scent of baked bread and fish. Z's gut twisted into intricate knots. Demons .

Scrabbling into the tiny cave, Z moved with haste. The sooner he got to his crew, the more likely they would be to survive. He couldn't call out with the demons so close. If they heard him, they'd sneak attack and rip everyone to pieces.

Unable to see in the flickering firelight, he slipped on a patch of loose gravel. Sweat broke out on his back. He was running out of time. Grabbing the wall to steady himself, he listened. Did they hear him? What he wouldn't give for a flashlight, but the demons could sense any tech and use it to seek out his crew.

When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out two figures huddled next to the small fire. Relief loosened the worry in his chest. The demons hadn’t snuck into the cave and gotten to the crew before he did.

Rin stood over James, who rocked back and forth on the ground on the other side of the fire. Her dark hair covered her face, but she wasn’t touching him, so this episode must be bad. James could get violent from touch if he was too far lost in the time currents.

What happened? Z asked softly. He needed to calm James and get the crew out of the cave. It was their only chance.

Rin turned and grimaced at him. Her pale face and pressed lips sent tingles up his spine, and he guessed what she was going to say.

He touched a Relic before I could grab it.

His heart stumbled. Shit. If James touched the Relic, he could spiral into a full-blown, Seer-crazy episode. Z had just one shot to break James out of his spiral. They would have to get the Relic away, distract James, and remind him who he was.

Meeting Rin's gaze, Z flicked his gaze to the little black rectangle with two small reels clutched in the man's hands, then back to Rin.

She nodded. James would be pissed, but hopefully she’d be able to grab the Relic and hide it.

Z gently touched James’s shoulders and squeezed. "I know this is hard, but I need you to see me in the here and now. Demons are in the area. We need to move."

With a soft whine, the Seer slowly straightened, his gaze darting toward Z's as he turned, his movements hesitant. Z kept his hand firmly on James’s shoulder, guiding him as he turned. The way James’s eyes clouded with confusion and fear made Z swallow hard. Would he get his friend back?

James, we’re friends.

James's gaze slowly cleared and changed back nearer to normal.

Z gave a subtle nod to Rin, who darted in and grabbed the Relic from James’s hand.

James blinked rapidly, then narrowed his eyes. His face twisted in rage. "Mine."

Leaning closer, Z tried again. James, he said sternly. We have to go. Now. Demons.

For a moment, he was sure his friend hadn't heard a word. James didn't move. He didn't respond, not even a blink. But, as Rin's feet began to shuffle restlessly, the man let out a shaky breath.

Okay. You're right. Let's go. He stood up on wobbly legs. Z put James’s arm over his shoulder to steady him. If they could get into the jungle, they still had a shot.

We have to be quick and quiet. Z didn't say it might already be too late. The Seer was already at the edge of losing his cool.

The clatter of items being tossed into a bag and the faint hiss of the fire getting put out sounded behind him. The little bit of light disappeared. Rin would take up the rear. If Malcolm were here, they'd be in a better position to fight, but Malcolm was a day away getting supplies.

Z froze at the entrance of the cave. They had not been quiet, but so far he didn't hear demons close by. He wouldn't if the demons were alerted and stalking his crew. The miasma of demons hung heavy in the air. They were close.

Guiding James deeper into the Jungle, Z followed the twisted path they'd first cut. That course was a gamble. While following the trail allowed them to move faster and quieter, if the demons had already found their trail, his crew would end up ambushed.

Each faint crunch beneath their feet had Z holding his breath for a moment, struggling to hear outside noises over the sound of his roaring heart. Each muttered word from James made him cringe. Every shadow twisted in his mind to be a leering demon face.

The scent had faded, but that could be desensitization from being so close to it for so long.

After a few minutes, Z paused in a glade to get his bearings. James stepped ahead and squatted down to poke at something on the ground. If Z's mental map was correct, there should be a river--

A black form crossed between the men. Z ripped out his sword and swung without a second thought. The demon's black blood splattered and its head went flying. James screamed as the caustic liquid covered his back. Chittering, hissing, and cracking rose behind him.

As his heart rate kicked up, he grabbed James's arm. Run!

The leaves and branches slapped and scratched his face and arms. He swung his sword to make a new path direct to the river and pulled James, forcing him to follow. The river should just be ahead. Rin brought up the rear, but the extra crashes and footfalls made it clear she wasn’t alone.

Z could handle three or four himself. With Rin, they might be able to survive a half dozen. The noise level promised more than a dozen.

The plants thinned, and he could make out the sparkling water ahead. Dark shapes closed in from all sides.

Bursting forward and forcing his leaden legs to move, he jumped into the river. The cold water surrounded him, and he gripped his sword and James tighter. James sputtered and yelled, but the rushing water would flush the burns.

Another splash sounded as Rin joined them.

Z half swam and half jumped off the rocks to get them toward the other side. The demons probably could not cross. He looked back.

At least fifty demons paced up and down along the shore where they'd entered. The demons hissed and snarled. They looked like a cross between a lizard, a porcupine, and a cat and luckily had a cat's dislike of water.

He pushed James up the bank on the other side and scrambled after him. They needed to keep going before the demons found a way across the river.

James stood and stabbed his finger toward Rin. "If you hadn't taken it, I could go home."

She blinked at him, probably having no idea what to say.

Seers were involuntarily brought from Earth's past to Kalecca, just like Relics. The two were linked. Crews with Seers found Relics in the jungle and could eke out a living.

However, Seers didn't handle the transition to this world well. That connection to Relics that made them so valuable to the crew also made them unstable. Most Seers were able to see time-streams, some mix of the past, present, and rarely the future.

Once they couldn't tell one reality from another, the company put them in the Seer hut in Wolf Haven to eventually die. As far as Z had ever found out, no Seer had ever gone home. They went to a crew until they touched too many Relics, then to the Seer hut, or died in the jungle.

Z didn't want that fate for his friend.

Malcolm should be back by sunset. Z pointed to the east. We can make it to the rendezvous point by then.

Rin slipped ahead into the trees. They needed to get farther from the river, find shelter, get dry, and clean their gear.

James’s gaze was not quite back to his normal crabby one. He looked so lost and confused that Z did the only thing he could think of to help. He hugged his friend. As they hugged, Z couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt and responsibility for James’s fate. He had dragged his friend into the jungle, and now James was paying the price. Z's inner demons whispered that he wasn't a good man, claiming he was just using the Seer. What choice did he have? It was that or they all starved.

James pulled back, his eyes wide and his lips trembling. I'm scared, Z. I'm scared of losing myself.

Z forced a reassuring smile. We'll get through this together.

The jungle closed in around them, shadows deepening into ominous whispers. Z quickened his pace, his heart heavy.

2

DUFF

Duff Roman woke to the screeching death of a swamp bug on the zapper in the rafters far above his head. Poor guy. The bug didn’t belong here anymore—and neither did he.

With his eighteenth birthday came the harsh reality of being cast out into the unforgiving world, where one mistake could mean capture by demons, enslavement by the Company, or worse—being left to rot in the jungle with no hope of rescue.

This was his last day in the orphanage. Resignation tightened his shoulders. If he tried to stay past sundown, the Company would confiscate his belongings and banish him into the jungle outside of Wolf Haven. No gear in the jungle was a death sentence. Even if the demons didn’t get him, the other indigenous life didn’t generally like humans.

A slight sound drew his gaze to the closest of five other occupied beds in the middle of the room. In the darkened room he could only see the vague outline of Simon on his bed. The darkness hid the rest of the kids’ beds and the pile of scrap beds in the corner.

Were the other kids awake? He held his breath, but heard nothing else.

It would be easier for everyone if he left before they woke up. Sheila was still too young to understand why he had to leave. Matilda would understand, because she would be the next one forced out. Simon and the twins, even though they would hide it, would be hurt that Duff hadn’t gotten into one of the Family caste and brought them along. They didn’t understand that if he’d gotten into a Family he’d have to prove himself first. And that might take years. No, he was much better off leaving before anyone woke up. It would be one less meal against the orphanage account and would make the money last a little longer.

If Duff was quiet and fast, he might be able to leave his bed. When he moved, the bed creaked. Once he was gone, they’d probably add his bed to the growing pile of unusable beds in the corner. If they got more kids, they’d have to build a bed from the broken parts.

He reached under his pillow for his tool kit and snapped it onto his belt. His dad had said to always keep his tools handy.

Even with the windows darkened so they could sleep, Duff only had a minute or two to get up before he was caught. He slipped out of his bed, hooked his finger in his boot leather, and tried to sneak out of the room before anyone else woke up. His bag was already packed and by the front door.

A light flipped on. His heart jumped and he gasped, nearly blind.

Happy birthday. Little Sheila grinned her broken-toothed grin. She danced on her toes. Her too-big nightgown hung on her slight frame. She’d been even tinier when she’d first come to the orphanage. Affection and pride warmed him.

Birthday! Birthday! Matty, one of the twins cheered, his skinny arms up and dark bed-head hair up too. He’d miss the twins’ mischief.

Awww. It’s a birthday, can’t we stay in bed? Marty, the other twin, threw the covers over his head.

Did you want to be abed when demons break into town? Simon made a face, sticking out his tongue. He was always a bucket of sunshine. Always so serious. He was the third oldest.

That’d never happen, the town has protections. Matty frowned, glancing at Duff. It does, doesn’t it?

Yes, but Kalecca doesn’t like us humans so we should always be prepared, Duff said. He knew firsthand how dangerous the planet was. They all did or they wouldn’t be here.

Matilda squinted. Her honey-colored ponytail swayed. But this is his eighteenth birthday. You know what that means.

Duff’s stomach plunged. Yup, he sure did. Even though Matilda was a year younger, she acted like the pragmatic older sister he’d never had. Once he left, it would be up to her to watch out for the kids.

Sheila’s cold little hand wrapped around his finger. Her other thumb reached toward her mouth. What does it mean, Duffy?

Matilda met his eyes. She knew what it meant. Simon too had seen previous kids leave. He looked away from Duff, his shoulders slumping. The three youngest were too young to remember.

He cleared his throat to get rid of the lump lodged there. Sheila gazed at him expectantly. Even though life had been rough on her, she was still so innocent of the world. What fact could he tell her? He was now too old to be their protector because he was too old to live in the orphanage. He couldn’t tell them that none of the Families wanted him. If a Family didn’t want an orphan, the orphan’s odds of survival were dismal. Someday, just a few years away, this would be all of their fates.

Unless a Family wanted them. If he’d been a girl he would’ve had better odds of getting into one. The only orphan he’d known that had gotten into a Family had been a pretty red-headed girl.

And there would always be new orphans for the Families to choose from as the still wild planet fought for its freedom.

He opened his mouth to release the cold hard truth of being an orphan on planet Kalecca.

Sheila must have seen something in his face because she paled and stuck her thumb in her mouth, sending his heart tumbling. She’d know soon enough; there was no reason to break her heart today. Besides, one Family still hadn’t responded to his formal request. He knew the odds were against him, but he still had hope. He’d done odd jobs for this Family, so they knew something about him.

It means everyone gets cake, Duff said, his voice gruff.

Shrieks and high-pitched chatter pierced the air, shattering the somber mood like crystal. The thought of what would happen to each of them pushed back for the moment.

That last Family had to want him. He could offer them his tech repair skills. He was good.

The first one to be cleaned and ready with no fighting gets the biggest piece, Duff said loudly so he could be heard above the din.

Sheila jumped up and down, her brown pigtails leaping in counterpoint. The joy in her bright blue eyes eased some of his unease. Me! Me!

The kids tucked blankets on their beds, dressed, and raced down the stairs. In a few minutes, only Matilda and Duff were still upstairs.

What will you do today? Matilda stood by her bed. She meant would he take a non-Family job. She meant where would he sleep tonight.

He didn’t really want to consider an independent crew. Once you joined a crew, a Family wouldn’t touch you. Most of the crews starved just as much as the people who stayed in town. Z-crew was the only independent crew that made out well. Rumors flew about what that crew did to survive. Everything from slavery to bushwhacking other crews. Once someone joined Z-crew, they were even more of an outcast than an orphan.

I have one more application out, Duff said.

"No Family