Number Seven //Book Two// - Dark Matter - COMPLETED

We Should Have Seen This Coming

"She's corporate elite." Two says, the crew was gathered in the mess hall. "On the boards of half a dozen companies, all of which are at least partly owned by Ferrous."

"I'm guessing she didn't get that far by playing by the rules." Three says.

"You think she's the one who had my friends killed over this?" Five asks, holding up the drive.

"It's possible." Two says.

"Well, if she wants it that bad, she must know what it is." Three says. "Let's just go find her. Get some answers."

"I doubt she'll be volunteering any information." Four says.

"We'll insist." Three says,

"It might not be as easy as that." Two explains. "Her headquarters is practically a fortress."

"And well out of range of our current fuel reserves." Android says.

"We would need to restock before we took on something like this." Two says.

"What do you suggest?" Four asks.

"An op, like the kind we used to pull." Two says.

"All right, now you're talking my language." Three says. "Good old-fashioned heist? Huh? So, who are we knocking off?"

"Actually, I was gonna ask for suggestions." Two says.

"I might have something." Nyx says. "Before I got nabbed, I hitched a ride on a freighter. Takes a regular route in a system nearby. I know where it stops."

"So?" Three asks

"Well, I did a little snooping around while I was on board." Nyx says. "Highly valuable cargo. Small crates, lightweight. Easily transported."

"Okay, what are we talking about?" Two asks

"Shadow." Nyx says

"What's that?" Three asks

"Are you kidding? Protase 130?" Devon says.

"Stop making me ask 'What's that?'" Three says.

"Shadow is, uh, the street name." Devon says. "It's a synthetic hallucinogen. A party drug. It's the latest thing."

"Do we really want to get into that?" Five asks, sharing a concerned look with Seven.

"It's a quick and easy score." Nyx says. "Which is exactly what we need. Or am I wrong?"

***

"Drugs?" Seven asks as she and Five walk down the hall. "I don't like."

"Well, it's not our op so there's not really much we can do." Five says. "It's--"

They stop abruptly as Devon walks around the corner with a box.

"Hey." Devon greets the girls. "What you two doing down here?"

"The Android asked us to run a diagnostic on the Marauder, see if it took any serious damage." Five explains.

"Cool." Devon says.

"What you doing?" Seven asks.

"Oh." Devon says, holding up a box. "I need this. It's for, uh, Nyx's brother. To wean him off. Afraid if he goes cold turkey, he'll have a seizure."

"Oh." Five says. "Okay."

"Yeah." Devon says. "You guy still got like a million bars' worth down there, so, I mean, you'll get your payday."