Phantom Bounty: Part Three

Writer’s Note: Phantom Bounty: Part Three was published originally in Jump Point 3.3. Read Part One here and Part Two here.
Mila and Rhys had chased the Phantom for months, had spent nearly every last credit, had put all their hope in finding her and collecting the bounty.

The Phantom stood in front of them at last, cuffed inside their prisoner pod. Mila should have felt elated, but all she felt was shock.

Evony Salinas. Mila had stopped going by Evony a decade ago, yet the Phantom knew her real name. And the Phantom’s face looked just like her former best friend’s — Casey Phan — a girl found murdered ten years ago.

It couldn’t be possible. But it was. The terrorist who had hit all those Phan Pharmaceutical labs was the founder’s own daughter. And she wasn’t dead. She’s alive.

Mila kept her eyes on the Phantom and wavered on her feet. Rhys reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Mila whispered.

Casey swallowed and averted her eyes, looking at the wall behind them. “And you’re supposed to be on Terra.”

“You . . . you almost killed me.”

Emotions Mila hadn’t expected flashed across Casey’s face. Anxiety. Regret. “I swear I didn’t know it was you. You shouldn’t have followed me.”

Rhys stepped in front of Mila, blocking her view of Casey, and made a move to shut the pod.

“Stop,” Mila commanded.

Rhys sharply responded, “She’s a terrorist, Mila.”

“I need to talk to her.”

Rhys paused and stepped back, working his jaw. “We can’t stay here. We’re sitting ducks.” He looked at the Phantom. “Did you contact anyone to meet you?”

Casey pressed her lips together and didn’t answer.

Mila clenched her hands into fists. “Everyone thinks you’re dead. How could you . . . and now you’re attacking your father’s labs — killing people?”

Casey’s nostrils flared. “It’s not like that. I’ll tell you. But not with him here.” She pointed to Rhys. “I don’t know him.”

Rhys let out an abrupt laugh. “You tried to kill us three times today. That has to be some kind of record. Now you wanna give Mila some sob story, hope she’ll free you? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

Casey went rigid as Rhys started searching her spacesuit for anything she might be hiding.

Conflicting emotions swirled within Mila, anger warring with relief. How the hell could Casey be alive? She’d seen the reports of her murder, she’d attended the funeral. It was basically a state ceremony, with many ranking Terran officials in attendance.

Mila wore a solid black floor-length dress and a widebrimmed Terran hat. She covered her face, crying the whole time as Casey’s father gave the eulogy. Afterward, her own mother stayed by her side every day, helping her to get through the grief. Her mother had always supported her until the day she’d turned her back on her family to become a bounty hunter.

And it had all started with Casey’s death.

Casey Phan was supposed to be dead.

Mila met Casey’s eyes. This . . . this person in front of her couldn’t be her friend. Was it some kind of trick?

Rhys finished searching Casey, found nothing, and slammed a fist into the button on the pod. The door eased shut, locking Casey away again.

When the door beeped, verifying it was secured, Rhys turned to Mila. He ran a hand through his brown hair, clearly trying to make sense of the situation. He shook his head. “Look. We gotta get out of here and back to Tevistal to hand her over to the Advocacy. We’re too exposed right now if she called for back-up.”

Mila nodded. She cast a glance back at the pod and saw the top of Casey’s head through the glass panel. Her head was hanging low, the expression on her face not visible. How could this be happening?

Mila’s stomach churned as she followed Rhys back to the cockpit. “Please. You fly. I’m no good right now.”

Rhys took the pilot’s seat and fired up the engines. He eased them away from the cargo ship and past Casey’s abandoned Cutlass, through the floating detritus of the junkyard.

Mila pulled up the scanner, searching for signs of powered ships, but she found none. The scans were either blocked by the debris, or they were alone out here.

She and Rhys sat in tense silence until they reached the edge of the junkyard. A few ships popped up on their scanner, but all of them were docked at the nearby platform, Septa. None of them were headed their way.

“The Advocacy will want to go back and search her ship.”

“I logged the coordinates,” Mila said.

They pulled into open space, and the revelations of the last few minutes hung heavy in the air between them.

Mila took a deep breath.

“You asked me back on Tevistal . . . you asked why I couldn’t let this bounty go?”

Rhys nodded, but didn’t speak.

Mila sighed and settled back in her seat, trying not to be so aware of Casey, locked in a pod behind them. “Casey and I were really close. We grew up together. My father owned a components manufacturer, and her father owned a biotech firm, and they did business together. Our families spent a lot of time together. I thought I knew her.” Mila’s voice broke, but she forced herself to continue. “When I was sixteen, Casey went missing. They eventually found her body off-world — she’d been murdered. Her father threw everything he had at finding her, then at trying to track down her killer, but they never figured it out. I thought she was kidnapped or lured off planet. I couldn’t believe she’d just take a transport off-world and not even tell me where she was going.”

“So everyone believed she was dead.”

“Yeah. They did. I did.” Mila turned toward Rhys and gripped the armrest tightly. “Casey’s death ten years ago was the reason I went into bounty hunting. I couldn’t get justice for Casey, but I could for others. My family basically disowned me when I left. And when a terrorist started attacking Phan Pharmaceuticals again a few months ago. . . it brought up all those old feelings.” Mila’s eyes burned, and she tried to keep tears from coming, but failed. “Casey’s murderer had gotten away, but now someone else was hurting the Phan family, and I could actually do something about it this time.”

Rhys stopped the ship and let it drift. He took off his harness and leaned toward her to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Mila unstrapped her harness and got up. Rhys stood with her, wrapping her in a hug, which only made her cry harder. She gave in, letting him hold her for a few moments, then got it together and wiped her eyes.

She stepped away from him and blew out a breath. “I gotta talk to her. I can’t hand her over without finding out the truth. I need to know what happened.”

Rhys narrowed his eyes. “I don’t trust her. She’s dangerous. I need you to remember she’s not the friend you grew up with. She might say anything to gain your sympathy.”

“I know. I know. I just . . .”

“I’ll stay up here. . . I can listen in if you want me to.”

“No. She said she wanted to talk to me alone. Do you trust me?”

Rhys touched her face, wiping away the last of her tears. “You know I do.”

Mila gave him a small smile and went to clean up at the sink to make sure she didn’t look a mess. She couldn’t let Casey see how much of an effect she’d had on her. Rhys was right. Casey was a terrorist now. She’d faked her own death. Those were the actions of a sociopath, at the very least. But she still needed to hear what Casey had to say.

Mila typed in the pod’s code and stepped back as the door swung open. Casey blinked at her blearily and then straightened her shoulders.

“I want to talk,” Mila said.

Casey narrowed her eyes. “Where’s the other guy? I want proof he’s not listening in.”

“He’s not. Take my word for it, or I’m closing this pod. You won’t get another chance to talk.”

The tension hanging in the air was palpable, and a trickle of sweat made its way down Mila’s back.

Finally Casey relented, and she gave a stiff nod.

Mila let out a breath. “Why did you fake your own murder?”

Casey’s eyes softened at something she saw in Mila’s face, which threw Mila off balance again. Could a sociopath show empathy? Or was she faking that, too?

“That’s not what happened,” Casey said. “Trust me . . . it’s eaten away at me that people I loved thought I was dead. But it was better that way. Safer for everyone involved.”

“Explain.”

“Are you taking me to the Advocacy now? How far out are we?”

Mila stepped forward and jabbed a finger into Casey’s chest. Casey flinched back. “No. I’m asking the questions. And you’re answering. What happened to you?”

Casey licked her lips. “Right before I . . . before I disappeared . . . I discovered some things. About what my father’s company was doing. Illegal bio testing on Human subjects. The more I dug the worse it got. He was making bioweapons, Evony.”

“Mila. My name is Mila now. And you’re lying. If your father was into any of that, the UEE would have shut him down years ago.”

Casey barked out a laugh. “There’s so much that goes on under the surface. People get paid off along the way to keep things hidden. ‘Law-abiding’ Citizens deal in just as much dirt as the people you hunt. But I guess you wouldn’t see it that way. I mean, you’re a bounty hunter now. How did that happen?”

Rage flooded Mila. I did this for you. She suddenly couldn’t stand to look at Casey any longer. She lifted a hand to shut the pod.

“Wait,” Casey said. “Okay. You don’t have to believe me, but I’ll tell you everything.”

Mila let her hand fall away from the button. “Fine. Talk.”

“I heard my father on a private comm. . . He said things about experiments, getting rid of the evidence. It scared me. So I snooped through his mobi, found what I had hoped I wouldn’t — terrible, cold reports. Then I had proof. But I didn’t know who to go to.”

“We were close.” Mila’s words came out like an accusation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was terrified you’d go to your parents. Do you know how much stock they have in Phan Pharmaceuticals? They’d want to cover it up just like my dad did. When he caught me poking around, he got so angry I knew he was guilty. I needed to find a way to stop him . . . but how could I turn my own father in to the UEE?”

“You apparently don’t mind blowing up his facilities and employees.”

“I didn’t . . .” Casey shook her head, looking frustrated. “Just listen. I showed up at a few of those anti-pharm meetings. I met a guy who called himself Desh. Said he and some others were secretly working to stop the pharmaceutical corporations that engaged in dirty work. I confessed I had information about a company — and he promised if I provided proof, he and his friends could make it stop. They said that no one else would get hurt.”

“Seriously? You expect me to believe this? Were you really that stupid?”

Casey’s face screwed up with regret. “I was sixteen.”

“And what happened at these meetings? What happened with Desh?”

“He asked me to bring the proof with him to meet the other members. He and I boarded transports separately and met up off-world. But it all went sideways from there. He took me to a ship waiting at the edge of the system, and that’s where I found out he was part of PF.”

“People First. Yeah, I know them. Bunch of conspiracy theory nut jobs. They weren’t mentioned anywhere in your bounty. You work alone. And they were smalltime. They haven’t been active in years.”

“You’re wrong. They’ve just gotten better funding. And got better at covering their tracks.”

“So what happened? You just . . . faked your own death and joined PF?”

Casey shook her head sadly. “Not exactly. Two Advocacy agents infiltrated us. Desh took them both out, but not before they transmitted an image of us back to Terra. We got out of there, but I couldn’t go back to Terra.”

This had to be an elaborate lie, but how else could she explain how her dead friend had disappeared from Terra as a teenager and turned up as a terrorist ten years later?

“PF took me with them,” Casey continued. “They helped me disappear. They had people still on Terra who told me that my dad covered it all up . . . made it look like I was just an innocent bystander who died during the shootout. He made sure my name wouldn’t be connected with PF. He covered it up with your mother’s help, Ev.”

Mila’s pulse sped up, and she shook her head. “No. No, my mother wouldn’t do that.”

“She did.” Casey’s voice turned bitter. “Remember, my dad was making a run for the Terran Senate that year. He couldn’t have it getting out I was seen with terrorists.”

Mila pressed her lips together and laid a hand on the wall to stay standing. Her mother. A cover-up. She felt suddenly dizzy. Nauseous. Her mother had high-level connections as Chair of the Governors Council Budget Committee. If she was part of a cover-up . . .

“PF protected me,” Casey said again, interrupting Mila’s thoughts. “They gave me a new identity. I soon learned they destroyed facilities where illegal experiments were taking place. They freed test subjects who could be saved. We have benefactors in and out of UEE space that help fund our mission. PF seemed to be doing the right thing.”

“You sound proud of yourself.” Mila’s voice rose. “Proud to be a terrorist. How many people have you killed?”

“I didn’t.” Casey pulled against her restraints like she wanted to move her hands, plead with Mila to believe her. A desperate look crossed her face. “Whatever they say about me isn’t true. I get in, get the goods, destroy the labs, and get out. I’m not a murderer.”

“You almost killed us. You planted a bomb in a hostel.”

A rueful smile cracked through Casey’s desperation. “But was it empty when you showed up?”

Mila narrowed her eyes and didn’t respond.

Casey nodded. “It should have been empty. I paid a guy to warn everyone. It wasn’t my fault if they stayed.”

“So that’s how you sleep at night. You just lie to yourself. Explain away everything bad you do.”

Casey got quiet and averted her eyes. “No. I do what I have to do. Doesn’t everyone?”

“Why are you even telling me all this?”

“You wanted to know.”

“If you think it’s going to make me free you . . . it’s not. The Advocacy will try you for your crimes. You have to pay for your choices.”

Casey’s eyes widened. “Look — the things I’ve done probably have saved millions, maybe billions of lives. Do you know what was in the last lab I hit? They were working on a bioweapon that could take out entire worlds. Entire worlds, Ev. My father has been playing with fire for years, and we finally had the funding and information we needed to hit his labs. If I didn’t do these jobs, some other PF agent would have. And they might have left fewer survivors. He’s my father. His crimes were my responsibility. But. . . that job was the last job I was ever going to do for them. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t. Of course you’d say it was your last job.”

“I was giving it all up. PF doesn’t just let people quit the organization . . . once you’re in, you’re in for life. I was on my way to meet someone who was going to smuggle me into Xi’an territory. If you let me go now, you’ll never hear from me again. But I have to go somewhere they can’t find me either.”

Mila stayed silent for a few, long moments, then finally met Casey’s eyes. “You were my best friend. I would have done anything to help you.”

“You can help me now.”

“No. You’re the Advocacy’s problem now.”

Real fear appeared on Casey’s face. “The Advocacy can’t protect me. The second I’m in custody, I’m a liability to PF. I’m a problem to be taken care of. There’s a reason no one knows much about them. And if they don’t get me, my father will.”

Mila’s chest tightened, and she found herself repeating the words Rhys had said to her back on Tevistal. “There’s always a choice. Always. You made the wrong one. I’ll make sure you’re taken to a secure facility.”

“I have to warn you, then. If I do manage to make it to trial . . . I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my father is exposed. Your mother covered up my death, so I can’t promise she won’t be a casualty. After that . . . if my father doesn’t kill me, PF will. If you hand me in . . . you’ll be responsible for all of that.”

Mila’s anger flared. “Is that a threat? No. You’re responsible for all of that.” Mila slammed a fist on the pod button and the door swung closed on Casey, beeping when it sealed. Breathing hard, Mila stalked back to the cockpit.

Rhys lifted his brows, waiting for her to speak.

“You were right. She’s a liar. Every word out of her mouth was a lie, and she just wants me to free her.”

Rhys narrowed his eyes, searching Mila’s face, worried about her. He ran a hand along her arm. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Mila said, trying to talk around the giant lump in her throat.

“You just gotta keep remembering . . . that’s not your friend in there. It’s someone else.”

“I know. Let’s just get her back to Tevistal.”

Mila and Rhys strapped back in, and she kept the scanner up as they retraced their course back to the planet they’d just left.

“I’m exhausted.” Mila leaned back in the seat. They hadn’t slept in almost twenty hours.

“As soon as we hand her over we’ll crash.”

Mila murmured a noncommittal reply.

“Do you want to sleep while I fly? You do look like you need it.”

“Oh, thanks. No. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”

“Are you really okay?”

Mila released her long brown hair from its tie and ran her fingers through it. “Honestly? No.”

“I’m ready to hear what she said, whenever you’re ready to share it.”

“Just what you said she would. Claimed she wasn’t a bad terrorist, whatever that means. She says her father is into . . . illegal testing. She says she’s working with PF — the People First crazies.” Mila pressed her lips together. She couldn’t bring herself to say the things that could implicate her own mother.

Rhys worked his jaw. “So Casey’s a front for something bigger, and her dad is just as bad as she is, but no one in the entire UEE has caught on to it in more than a decade.” He shook his head. “Well, the Advocacy will know what to do with her. It’s not our job.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Mila thought of the young girl she’d been friends with. Thin and petite, long black hair always hanging in her intelligent eyes. “I don’t get it.”

“People change.”

“Ever since we were children, though . . . When we were twelve, there was this girl at school, Lia. Really wealthy, who held these ridiculous parties at her mansion. They’d bring in games, expensive prizes, the kinds of rides you’d find at fairs. It was crazy. We were all friends with her . . . until I accidentally insulted her one day at Academy. So I was the only one not invited to this party. Casey announced she was done with Lia in front of everyone, then stayed home the night of the party, watching old vids with me in our crash room. She was always doing stuff like that for the people she cared about. Always so . . . loyal. None of this adds up.”

“There’s never a good enough reason to do what she’s done.”

A long silence stretched on between them, and Mila’s mind struggled to come to terms with the Casey she’d known and the Casey locked up in the pod on Devana.

The story Casey had told . . . about finding the illegal research, about deciding to fix it herself . . . it did line up with the old Casey. It made Mila doubt . . . everything. And the fact that she felt doubt scared her. There was no room for doubt in this job.

“What if Casey’s telling the truth?” she blurted out.

Rhys stiffened in his seat. “Then we let the Advocacy determine that,” he said carefully. He looked toward her, studying her face. “We stick to the mission. The right thing to do is hand her over. If they determine she’s telling the truth, the proper authorities can handle it. You and I will get away from all this . . . get some downtime. That was the plan, right?”

“Right,” Mila answered quickly.

After a few awkward minutes, Rhys cleared his throat. “You know, this is the most you’ve ever told me about your past.”

“You’re a bounty hunter.” Mila said, glad to drop the subject of Casey. “Didn’t you research me before we went into business together?”

Rhys smirked, but it had no real mirth behind it. “Yeah. You did a good job wiping yourself off the map. Evony, huh?”

Mila winced. “Yeah. My family kind of disowned me when I joined the guild. This wasn’t the life they had planned for their only child. I decided to start over, use my middle name.”

“We all have histories . . . and a lot of us choose bounty hunting to leave those behind. I followed my gut about you.” Rhys met her eyes, and she could see the open trust displayed there. “And I know I made the right decision.”

Mila smiled, and they lapsed into silence for the rest of the flight back to Tevistal.

Rhys trusted her.

But could she trust herself?

The pit in Mila’s stomach grew worse as Rhys landed back at the Tevistal docks. He commed with maintenance and used up the last of their creds to get the forward screen patched and the maneuvering thruster replaced.

“I have just enough to hire a hover,” he said to Mila, as he brought up the Advocacy office address and a list of the agents who worked there. “We can’t risk broadcasting the Phantom’s whereabouts. I know this Advocacy agent,” he said, pointing to a name. “I’ve worked with him before, and I trust him. I’ll make contact with him personally so we can hand Casey over. Then we get paid, and we get outta here.”

Mila nodded, and Rhys headed back to their quarters to change into planetside clothes and grab his gear. Mila squeezed her hands tight in her lap and watched as the workers began to patch the cockpit from the outside.

I can do this. I can turn Casey over.

Mila stood up as Rhys headed back toward her.

She lowered the forward ramp for him and looked up at him, at the worry on his face, wondering what her own face looked like. His eyes crinkled around the edges and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. She kissed him back, relishing his warmth, willing Rhys and his loyalty and trust to erase her doubt over Casey.

He wrapped her in a tight hug. She listened to the thump of his heart beneath his shirt, and a new feeling of dread bloomed within her.

She didn’t want to let him go, but he finally pulled away. “I should be back soon with agents. Don’t let anyone inside this ship.”

“I won’t.”

“Everything will be fine.” Rhys kissed her gently again, and then she was watching his back as he headed down the ramp to the docks.

Mila retracted the ramp and went back to the co-pilot’s seat, not allowing herself even to look at the pod holding Casey.

She’d never had such a hard time turning in a criminal before. But then, she’d never personally known a criminal like this. It was good Rhys was handling it. She couldn’t.

He had faith in her, and that meant everything. This was her life now. And she needed to do her job.

But . . .

Mila activated her mobiGlas and accessed the local network. She searched a decade back, looking for old news posts about Owen Phan and Casey Phan’s death.

The first image she pulled up was of Owen Phan during his failed Senate run. Owen and Casey’s mother Lynn stood together at a charity event. And next to them: Mila’s parents. Mila’s heart lurched. Her mother stood between her father and Owen. She pulled up another dozen images, and more than half of them showed her parents with the Phans. If Casey was telling the truth, then Casey’s trial would destroy both their families.

And if it was true, it meant her own mother had lied to her, let her mourn when Casey wasn’t even dead. Mila took a deep breath and pushed down her anger at the thought. She searched for articles on Casey’s death.

Phan Pharmaceutical Heir Found Murdered Off-World

Mila had read this statement dozens of times. Casey had taken a trip on her own. Someone had killed her. Wrong place, wrong time. Murderer never found. Family devastated. No new leads. Case closed.

Mila ran a new query.

Phan Pharmaceutical, Illegal Bioweapons

More than a thousand results appeared. Mila raced through them. Most of them were PR releases from Phan Pharmaceutical themselves, promoting all the hard work they’d done to stop the creation of bioweapons. Spectrum wasn’t getting her anywhere. She was going to have to dive deep into the boards. She switched her profile over to a persona she had built up for just such occasions and began pinging threads.

Within seconds messages appeared.

Illegal test subjects.

Proof of bioweapon development.

Suspected facilities.

Heart in her throat, Mila scanned the documents someone named “DarkStar” had uploaded. The list contained all the facilities the Phantom was reputed to have hit in the past few months. Why hadn’t Mila thought to do this research before? She’d been so focused on tracking down the Phantom, she’d ignored any possibility that Phan Pharmaceuticals might have done something to deserve the attacks.

But there was never a good reason for terrorism. There wasn’t.

Another user had posted documents with the claim that Phan’s research facility on Gen was up to its eyes in psychoactive weapons. It was the third facility the Phantom had attacked.

Mila pulled up the documents. Internal memos with the Phan Pharmaceuticals logo on top. Redacted statements recovered. References made to the ILIOS Project. Mila skimmed them, her heart pounding.

100% fatality rate

Spread quickly through physical contact

Quarantine

Buyers from four worlds

This wasn’t proof. Maybe they were working on a cure for something, not a disease. But what disease still existed that had a 100% fatality rate . . . something people would want to buy a cure for? Mila exited her search and got to her feet. Her hands were shaking as she made her way back to Casey’s pod and typed in the code. It beeped back at her and flashed red.

She tried it again. It denied her access. Again.

Rhys had changed the code on it. He hadn’t trusted her.

The realization was a kick in the gut. She assumed things . . . believed things to be true. She’d thought he trusted her. But she’d built her whole life on lies. And now everything she’d taken as truth was falling apart around her.

Mila swallowed hard and held her mobiGlas up to the panel. She activated the hack program she’d used back at the hostel, and the door swung open.

Casey blinked at her. “The Advocacy here?”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth about the bioweapons? Do you have proof?”

Casey’s eyes widened. “I destroy everything when I go in. That’s the point.”

“I can’t —”

“Evony. I knew you. You knew me. Am I lying to you?” Her eyes were wide, pleading. Mila shook her head. “I don’t know . . . I . . .”

She met Casey’s eyes and tried to see the girl she used to know. Mila couldn’t be responsible for her childhood friend’s murder. Not after she’d already grieved once. And she couldn’t risk Casey bringing down the whole Salinas family with her. Because something in her gut told her that her mother might well have done whatever it took to help the Phan family succeed. Her mother was perfectly capable of manipulating reality to fit with her goals.

Mila groaned. “If I let you go, you’ll leave? You’ll leave and never come back?”

A light sprang into Casey’s eyes. “If you can help me get to the meeting with my patron, she’ll get me into Xi’an territory. You’ll never see or hear from me again. I swear it.”

“I don’t want Rhys involved in this . . . I’ll say . . . I’ll say you overpowered me, stole the ship. They can find me later.”

“Yes. We’ll keep him out of it. I promise.”

“You better not make me regret this.” Mila used her mobi to release the cuffs from the interior bar.

Mila clenched her jaw tight as she loosened Casey’s cuffs. If she was wrong about this, Casey could try to overpower her right now and escape. But the blows never came.

Instead, Casey threw her arms around Mila, surprising her with a tight hug. “You won’t regret this.” She stepped back and massaged her red wrists. “Now tell me what I need to do.”

“I’ll fly us out of here,” Mila said. “You navigate us to your meeting point.”

They hurried to the cockpit, and Mila barely breathed, still expecting a betrayal, waiting to see if she’d made a mistake. But Casey didn’t turn on her. Not yet, anyway.

Right after they’d strapped into their seats, the comm crackled. “Mila,” Rhys’s voice came through. “Ten minutes out by hover.”

Mila jabbed a finger into the comm. “Received. Everything’s . . . good.”

“See you soon,” Rhys said.

Dread threatened to engulf Mila, but she tried to ignore the feelings as she took the controls. In the seat beside her, Casey pulled up the comms and requested emergency clearance to take off.

If they made it off-world, Rhys would never, ever forgive her. But it was too late. She’d made her decision, and now Casey Phan, the Phantom, sat beside her, ready to escape UEE space once and for all.

Clearance came in, and Mila fired up the engines.

“Thank you, Ev. I mean it. I don’t deserve your trust after . . .”

Mila just shook her head. “No. You don’t.”

“Mila.” Rhys’s panicked voice came over the comm. “Mila, I have you in sight. Why are the engines fired up? What’s going on?”

Mila activated the comm, and winced against a jolt of pain in her shoulder. The numbing agent was fading, the burn from her pistol wound returning. Casey had shot her, and here she was freeing her. Mila stared at the comm and tried to think of what she could say to Rhys. But there was nothing to say.

She’d have to lie to him if she got out of this alive. Whatever they’d had together . . . it was over now, burned by her decision. And the less he knew, the better off he’d be.

I’m so sorry, Rhys.

She removed her finger from the comm without saying a word and lifted Devana into the sky.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Anmerkung des Autors: Phantom-Bounty: Teil Drei wurde ursprünglich in Jump Point 3.3 veröffentlicht. Lies Teil Eins hier und Teil Zwei hier.
Mila und Rhys hatten das Phantom monatelang gejagt, fast jeden letzten Kredit ausgegeben, alle ihre Hoffnung gesetzt, sie zu finden und das Kopfgeld einzusammeln.

Das Phantom stand endlich vor ihnen, gefesselt in ihrem Gefangenenlager. Mila hätte sich begeistert fühlen sollen, aber alles, was sie fühlte, war ein Schock.

Evony Salinas. Mila hatte vor einem Jahrzehnt aufgehört, Evony zu besuchen, aber das Phantom kannte ihren richtigen Namen. Und das Gesicht der Phantom sah aus wie das ihrer ehemaligen besten Freundin - Casey Phan - ein Mädchen, das vor zehn Jahren ermordet aufgefunden wurde.

Das kann nicht sein. Aber das war es. Der Terrorist, der all diese Phan Pharmaceutical Labors getroffen hatte, war die eigene Tochter des Gründers. Und sie war nicht tot. Sie ist am Leben.

Mila behielt das Phantom im Auge und wankte auf den Füßen. Rhys streckte die Hand aus und packte ihren Arm, um sie zu beruhigen.

"Du sollst tot sein", flüsterte Mila.

Casey schluckte und wandte ihre Augen ab und sah auf die Wand hinter ihnen. "Und du solltest auf Terra sein."

"Du. ...du hättest mich fast getötet."

Emotionen, die Mila nicht erwartet hatte, blitzten über Caseys Gesicht. Angst. Bedauern. "Ich schwöre, ich wusste nicht, dass du es bist. Du hättest mir nicht folgen sollen."

Rhys trat vor Mila, blockierte ihren Blick auf Casey und machte einen Schritt, um den Tank zu schließen.

"Hör auf", befahl Mila.

Rhys antwortete scharf: "Sie ist eine Terroristin, Mila."

"Ich muss mit ihr reden."

Rhys hielt inne und trat zurück, um seinen Kiefer zu bearbeiten. "Wir können nicht hier bleiben. Wir sind leichte Beute." Er sah das Phantom an. "Hast du jemanden kontaktiert, um dich zu treffen?"

Casey drückte ihre Lippen zusammen und antwortete nicht.

Mila presste ihre Hände in Fäuste. "Jeder denkt, dass du tot bist. Wie konntest du nur. ... und jetzt greifst du die Laboratorien deines Vaters an - tötest Menschen?"

Caseys Nasenlöcher flackerten. "So ist das nicht. Ich sage es dir. Aber nicht, wenn er hier ist." Sie zeigte auf Rhys. "Ich kenne ihn nicht."

Rhys ließ ein abruptes Lachen aus. "Du hast heute dreimal versucht, uns zu töten. Das muss eine Art Rekord sein. Jetzt willst du Mila eine schluchzende Geschichte erzählen, in der Hoffnung, dass sie dich befreit? Ja, das wird nicht passieren."

Casey wurde starr, als Rhys anfing, ihren Raumanzug nach allem zu durchsuchen, was sie vielleicht versteckt.

Widersprüchliche Emotionen wirbelten in Mila, Wut kämpfte vor Erleichterung. Wie zum Teufel konnte Casey noch am Leben sein? Sie hatte die Berichte über ihren Mord gesehen, sie war bei der Beerdigung dabei. Es war im Grunde genommen eine staatliche Zeremonie, an der viele hochrangige Terraner Beamte teilnahmen.

Mila trug ein solides, schwarzes, bodenlanges Kleid und einen breitrahmigen Terranerhut. Sie bedeckte ihr Gesicht und weinte die ganze Zeit, als Caseys Vater die Grabrede hielt. Danach blieb ihre eigene Mutter jeden Tag an ihrer Seite und half ihr, die Trauer zu überstehen. Ihre Mutter hatte sie immer unterstützt, bis zu dem Tag, an dem sie ihrer Familie den Rücken gekehrt hatte, um ein Kopfgeldjäger zu werden.

Und es hatte alles mit Caseys Tod begonnen.

Casey Phan sollte eigentlich tot sein.

Mila traf Caseys Augen. Diese.... diese Person vor ihr konnte nicht ihre Freundin sein. War es eine Art Trick?

Rhys beendete die Suche nach Casey, fand nichts und schlug mit der Faust in den Knopf auf dem Pod. Die Tür schloss sich und schloss Casey wieder ein.

Als die Tür piepste und verifizierte, dass sie gesichert war, wandte sich Rhys an Mila. Er fuhr mit der Hand durch sein braunes Haar und versuchte eindeutig, die Situation zu verstehen. Er schüttelte den Kopf. "Schau. Wir müssen hier raus und zurück nach Tevistal, um sie der Advocacy zu übergeben. Wir sind im Moment zu exponiert, wenn sie nach Verstärkung ruft."

Mila nickte. Sie warf einen Blick zurück auf die Kapsel und sah die Oberseite von Caseys Kopf durch die Glasscheibe. Ihr Kopf hing tief, der Ausdruck auf ihrem Gesicht war nicht sichtbar. Wie konnte das passieren?

Milas Magen brannte, als sie Rhys zurück ins Cockpit folgte. "Bitte. Du fliegst. Ich bin im Moment nicht gut genug."

Rhys nahm den Pilotenplatz ein und feuerte die Motoren an. Er ließ sie vom Frachtschiff weg und passierte Caseys verlassenes Entermesser, durch den schwimmenden Schutt des Schrottplatzes.

Mila zog den Scanner hoch und suchte nach Anzeichen von Motorschiffen, aber sie fand keine. Die Scans wurden entweder durch die Trümmer blockiert, oder sie waren allein hier draußen.

Sie und Rhys saßen in angespannter Stille, bis sie den Rand des Schrottplatzes erreichten. Einige Schiffe tauchten auf ihrem Scanner auf, aber alle waren an der nahegelegenen Plattform Septa angedockt. Keiner von ihnen war auf dem Weg zu ihnen.

"Die Advocacy wird zurückgehen und ihr Schiff durchsuchen wollen."

"Ich habe die Koordinaten protokolliert", sagte Mila.

Sie zogen in den offenen Raum, und die Offenbarungen der letzten Minuten hingen schwer in der Luft zwischen ihnen.

Mila atmete tief durch.

"Du hast mich nach Tevistal zurück gefragt.... du hast gefragt, warum ich dieses Kopfgeld nicht loslassen konnte?"

Rhys nickte, sprach aber nicht.

Mila seufzte und setzte sich auf ihren Platz zurück und versuchte, Casey nicht so aufmerksam zu machen, eingeschlossen in einer Kapsel hinter ihnen. "Casey und ich standen uns sehr nahe. Wir sind zusammen aufgewachsen. Mein Vater besaß einen Komponentenhersteller und ihr Vater eine Biotech-Firma, und sie machten Geschäfte zusammen. Unsere Familien verbrachten viel Zeit miteinander. Ich dachte, ich kenne sie." Milas Stimme brach, aber sie zwang sich, weiterzumachen. "Als ich sechzehn war, wurde Casey vermisst. Sie fanden schließlich ihren Körper außerhalb der Welt - sie wurde ermordet. Ihr Vater warf alles, was er hatte, um sie zu finden, dann versuchte er, ihren Mörder aufzuspüren, aber sie fanden es nie heraus. Ich dachte, sie wurde entführt oder vom Planeten gelockt. Ich konnte nicht glauben, dass sie einfach einen Transport von der Welt nahm und mir nicht einmal sagte, wohin sie wollte."

"Also glaubten alle, sie sei tot."

"Ja. Das haben sie. Das habe ich." Mila wandte sich Rhys zu und packte die Armlehne fest. "Caseys Tod vor zehn Jahren war der Grund, warum ich zur Kopfgeldjagd ging. Ich konnte keine Gerechtigkeit für Casey bekommen, aber ich konnte für andere. Meine Familie hat mich im Grunde genommen verleugnet, als ich ging. Und als ein Terrorist vor einigen Monaten anfing, Phan Pharmaceuticals erneut anzugreifen. Es weckte all diese alten Gefühle." Milas Augen brannten, und sie versuchte, Tränen davon abzuhalten, zu kommen, scheiterte aber. "Caseys Mörder war entkommen, aber jetzt hat jemand anderes die Phan-Familie verletzt, und ich konnte diesmal tatsächlich etwas dagegen tun."

Rhys stoppte das Schiff und ließ es treiben. Er zog sein Geschirr aus und lehnte sich an sie heran, um die Tränen von ihren Wangen zu wischen.

"Danke, dass du es mir gesagt hast."

Mila öffnete ihr Gurtzeug und stand auf. Rhys stand bei ihr und wickelte sie in eine Umarmung, was sie nur noch härter weinen ließ. Sie gab nach, ließ sich von ihm für einige Augenblicke festhalten, packte es dann zusammen und wischte sich die Augen.

Sie trat von ihm weg und blies einen Atemzug heraus. "Ich muss mit ihr reden. Ich kann sie nicht übergeben, ohne die Wahrheit herauszufinden. Ich muss wissen, was passiert ist."

Rhys verengte seine Augen. "Ich traue ihr nicht. Sie ist gefährlich. Du musst daran denken, dass sie nicht die Freundin ist, mit der du aufgewachsen bist. Sie könnte alles sagen, um dein Mitgefühl zu gewinnen."

"Ich weiß. Ich weiß. Ich bin nur...."

"Ich werde hier oben bleiben. . . Ich kann zuhören, wenn du willst."

"Nein. Sie sagte, sie will allein mit mir reden. Vertraust du mir?"

Rhys berührte ihr Gesicht und wischte die letzten ihrer Tränen weg. "Du weißt, dass ich das tue."

Mila schenkte ihm ein kleines Lächeln und ging zum Aufräumen an der Spüle, um sicherzustellen, dass sie nicht durcheinander aussah. Sie konnte Casey nicht sehen lassen, wie sehr sie sich auf sie ausgewirkt hatte. Rhys hatte Recht. Casey war jetzt ein Terrorist. Sie hatte ihren eigenen Tod vorgetäuscht. Das waren zumindest die Handlungen eines Soziopathen. Aber sie musste noch hören, was Casey zu sagen hatte.

Mila tippte den Code des Pod ein und trat zurück, als die Tür aufschwang. Casey blinzelte sie blitzartig an und streckte dann ihre Schultern aus.

"Ich will reden", sagte Mila.

Casey verengte die Augen. "Wo ist der andere Typ? Ich will einen Beweis, dass er nicht zuhört."

"Ist er nicht. Glaub mir, oder ich schließe diese Kapsel. Du wirst keine Chance mehr zum Reden haben."

Die Spannung, die in der Luft hing, war spürbar, und ein Tropfen Schweiß zog über Milas Rücken.

Schließlich gab Casey nach, und sie nickte steif.

Mila ließ einen Atemzug aus. "Warum hast du deinen eigenen Mord vorgetäuscht?"

Casey's Augen wurden weicher durch etwas, das sie in Mila's Gesicht sah, was Mila wieder aus dem Gleichgewicht brachte. Könnte ein Soziopath Empathie zeigen? Oder hat sie das auch vorgetäuscht?

"Das ist nicht das, was passiert ist", sagte Casey. "Vertrau mir.... es hat mich verzehrt, dass die Menschen, die ich liebte, dachten, ich sei tot. Aber es war besser so. Mehr Sicherheit für alle Beteiligten."

" Erkläre es."

"Bringst du mich jetzt zur Anwaltschaft? Wie weit sind wir noch entfernt?"

Mila trat vor und stieß einen Finger in Caseys Brust. Casey zuckte zurück. "Nein. Ich stelle die Fragen. Und du antwortest. Was ist mit dir passiert?"

Casey leckte ihre Lippen. "Kurz bevor ich.... bevor ich verschwunden bin.... Ich habe einige Dinge entdeckt. Darüber, was die Firma meines Vaters tat. Illegale Biotests an menschlichen Probanden. Je mehr ich grub, desto schlimmer wurde es. Er machte Biowaffen, Evony."

"Mila. Mein Name ist jetzt Mila. Und du lügst. Wenn dein Vater in so etwas verwickelt wäre, hätte die UEE ihn vor Jahren geschlossen."

Casey lachte ein wenig. "Es gibt so viel, was unter der Oberfläche vor sich geht. Menschen werden auf dem Weg dorthin bezahlt, um Dinge zu verstecken. Gesetzestreue" Bürger handeln mit genauso viel Dreck wie die Menschen, die Sie jagen. Aber ich schätze, so würdest du es nicht sehen. Ich meine, du bist jetzt ein Kopfgeldjäger. Wie ist das passiert?"

Wut überflutete Mila. Ich habe das für dich getan. Sie konnte es plötzlich nicht mehr ertragen, Casey anzusehen. Sie hob eine Hand, um die Kapsel zu schließen.

"Warte", sagte Casey. "Okay. Du musst mir nicht glauben, aber ich werde dir alles erzählen."

Mila ließ ihre Hand vom Knopf fallen. "Gut. Sprich."

"Ich habe meinen Vater auf privater Basis gehört. . Er sagte Dinge über Experimente und die Beseitigung der Beweise. Es hat mir Angst gemacht. Also schnüffelte ich durch seine Mobi, fand, was ich mir erhofft hatte - schreckliche, kalte Berichte. Dann hatte ich Beweise. Aber ich wusste nicht, zu wem ich gehen sollte."

"Wir waren nah dran." Milas Worte kamen wie eine Anschuldigung rüber. "Warum hast du es mir nicht gesagt?"

"Ich hatte Angst, dass du zu deinen Eltern gehen würdest. Weißt du, wie viel Bestand sie an Phan Pharmaceuticals haben? Sie würden es genauso vertuschen wollen wie mein Vater. Als er mich beim Herumstöbern erwischte, wurde er so wütend, dass ich wusste, dass er schuldig war. Ich musste einen Weg finden, ihn aufzuhalten.... aber wie konnte ich meinen eigenen Vater an die UEE verweisen?"

"Es macht dir anscheinend nichts aus, seine Einrichtungen und Mitarbeiter in die Luft zu jagen."

"Das habe ich nicht..." Casey schüttelte den Kopf und sah frustriert aus. "Hör einfach zu. Ich tauchte bei ein paar dieser Anti-Pharm-Meetings auf. Ich traf einen Typen, der sich Desh nannte. Sagte, er und einige andere arbeiteten heimlich daran, die Pharmaunternehmen zu stoppen, die an der Schmutzarbeit beteiligt waren. Ich gestand, dass ich Informationen über ein Unternehmen hatte - und er versprach, dass er und seine Freunde, wenn ich den Nachweis leiste, es beenden könnten. Sie sagten, dass niemand sonst verletzt werden würde."

"Im Ernst? Du erwartest, dass ich das glaube? Warst du wirklich so dumm?"

Caseys Gesicht war voller Reue. "Ich war sechzehn."

"Und was geschah bei diesen Treffen? Was ist mit Desh passiert?"

"Er bat mich, den Beweis mitzubringen, um die anderen Mitglieder zu treffen. Er und ich bestiegen die Transporte separat und trafen uns außerhalb der Welt. Aber von da an lief alles seitwärts. Er brachte mich zu einem Schiff, das am Rande des Systems wartete, und dort fand ich heraus, dass er Teil von PF war."

"Menschen zuerst. Ja, ich kenne sie. Ein Haufen von Verschwörungstheorien, verrückte Jobs. Sie wurden nirgendwo in deinem Kopfgeld erwähnt. Du arbeitest allein. Und sie waren klein. Sie waren seit Jahren nicht mehr aktiv."

"Du liegst falsch. Sie haben gerade eine bessere Finanzierung bekommen. Und wurde besser darin, ihre Spuren zu verwischen."

"Also, was ist passiert? Du hast einfach.... deinen eigenen Tod vorgetäuscht und bist PF beigetreten?"

Casey schüttelte den Kopf traurig. "Nicht ganz. Zwei Advocacy-Agenten haben uns infiltriert. Desh nahm sie beide heraus, aber nicht bevor sie ein Bild von uns zurück nach Terra übertrugen. Wir kamen da raus, aber ich konnte nicht zurück zu Terra."

Das musste eine aufwendige Lüge sein, aber wie sonst sollte sie erklären, wie ihre tote Freundin als Teenagerin von Terra verschwunden war und zehn Jahre später als Terroristin auftauchte?

"PF hat mich mitgenommen", fuhr Casey fort. "Sie halfen mir zu verschwinden. Sie hatten noch Leute auf Terra, die mir sagten, dass mein Vater alles vertuscht hatte.... und es so aussehen ließen, als wäre ich nur ein unschuldiger Zuschauer, der während der Schießerei starb. Er stellte sicher, dass mein Name nicht mit PF in Verbindung gebracht wird. Er hat es mit der Hilfe deiner Mutter vertuscht, Ev."

Milas Puls beschleunigte sich, und sie schüttelte den Kopf. "Nein. Nein. Nein, meine Mutter würde das nicht tun."

"Das hat sie." Caseys Stimme wurde bitter. "Denk dran, mein Vater hat in diesem Jahr für den Terranischen Senat gekämpft. Er konnte es sich nicht leisten, dass ich mit Terroristen gesehen wurde."

Mila drückte ihre Lippen zusammen und legte eine Hand an die Wand, um stehen zu bleiben. Ihre Mutter. Eine Vertuschung. Ihr wurde plötzlich schwindlig. Übelkeit. Ihre Mutter hatte als Vorsitzende des Haushaltsausschusses des EZB-Rates hochrangige Verbindungen. Wenn sie Teil einer Vertuschung war.....

"PF hat mich geschützt", sagte Casey noch einmal und unterbrach Milas Gedanken. "Sie gaben mir eine neue Identität. Ich erfuhr bald, dass sie Einrichtungen zerstörten, in denen illegale Experimente stattfanden. Sie befreiten Testpersonen, die gerettet werden konnten. Wir haben Wohltäter in und außerhalb des UEE-Raums, die helfen, unsere Mission zu finanzieren. PF schien das Richtige zu tun."

"Du klingst stolz auf dich." Milas Stimme erhob sich. "Ich bin stolz darauf, ein Terrorist zu sein. Wie viele Menschen hast du schon getötet?"

"Das habe ich nicht." Casey zog gegen ihre Fesseln, als wolle sie ihre Hände bewegen, flehte Mila an, ihr zu glauben. Ein verzweifelter Blick kreuzte ihr Gesicht. "Was immer sie über mich sagen, ist nicht wahr. Ich gehe rein, hole die Ware, zerstöre die Labore und gehe raus. Ich bin kein Mörder."

"Du hast uns fast umgebracht. Du hast eine Bombe in einem Hostel platziert."

Ein reumütiges Lächeln brach durch Caseys Verzweiflung zusammen. "Aber war es leer, als du aufgetaucht bist?"

Mila verengte die Augen und reagierte nicht.

Casey nickte. "Es hätte leer sein sollen. Ich habe einen Kerl bezahlt, um alle zu warnen. Es war nicht meine Schuld, wenn sie blieben."

"So schläft man also nachts. Du belügst dich nur selbst. Erkläre alles Schlechte, was du tust."

Casey wurde still und wandte ihre Augen ab. "Nein. Ich tue, was ich tun muss. Das tun nicht alle?"

"Warum erzählst du mir das alles überhaupt?"

"Du wolltest es wissen."

"Wenn du denkst, dass ich dich dadurch befreien kann. ...ist es nicht. Die Advocacy wird Sie wegen Ihrer Verbrechen vor Gericht stellen. Du musst für deine Entscheidungen bezahlen."

Casey's Augen wurden größer. "Schau - die Dinge, die ich getan habe, haben wahrscheinlich Millionen, vielleicht Milliarden von Leben gerettet. Weißt du, was im letzten Labor war, das ich getroffen habe? Sie arbeiteten an einer Biowaffe, die ganze Welten auslöschen konnte. Ganze Welten, Ev. Mein Vater spielt seit Jahren mit dem Feuer, und wir hatten endlich die Mittel und Informationen, die wir brauchten, um seine Labore zu treffen. Wenn ich diese Jobs nicht machen würde, hätte es ein anderer PF-Agent getan. Und sie haben vielleicht weniger Überlebende hinterlassen. Er ist mein Vater. Seine Verbrechen lagen in meiner Verantwortung. Aber.... . dieser Job war der letzte Job, den ich je für sie machen würde. Du musst mir glauben."

"Das tue ich nicht. Natürlich würde man sagen, es war dein letzter Job."

"Ich habe alles aufgegeben. PF lässt nicht nur Leute die Organisation verlassen.... sobald man drin ist, ist man auf Lebenszeit dabei. Ich war auf dem Weg, jemanden zu treffen, der mich in das Gebiet von Xi'an schmuggeln würde. Wenn du mich jetzt gehen lässt, wirst du nie wieder von mir hören. Aber ich muss irgendwo hin, wo sie mich auch nicht finden können."

Mila schwieg für ein paar, lange Momente, dann traf sie schließlich Caseys Augen. "Du warst meine beste Freundin. Ich hätte alles getan, um dir zu helfen."

"Du kannst mir jetzt helfen."

"Nein. Du bist jetzt das Problem der Anwaltschaft."

Echte Angst erschien auf Caseys Gesicht. "Die Advocacy kann mich nicht beschützen. In der Sekunde, in der ich in Haft bin, bin ich eine Verpflichtung gegenüber PF. Ich bin ein Problem, um das man sich kümmern muss. Es gibt einen Grund, warum niemand viel über sie weiß. Und wenn sie mich nicht kriegen, wird es mein Vater tun."

Milas Brust straffte sich, und sie wiederholte die Worte, die Rhys auf Tevistal zu ihrem Rücken gesagt hatte. "Es gibt immer eine Wahl. Immer. Du hast den falschen gemacht. Ich werde dafür sorgen, dass du in eine sichere Einrichtung gebracht wirst."

"Dann muss ich dich warnen. Wenn ich es schaffe, vor Gericht zu kommen..... Ich tue alles, was nötig ist, um sicherzustellen, dass mein Vater bloßgestellt wird. Deine Mutter hat meinen Tod vertuscht, also kann ich nicht versprechen, dass sie kein Opfer sein wird. Danach.... wenn mein Vater mich nicht tötet, wird PF es tun. Wenn Sie mich abgeben.... sind Sie für all das verantwortlich."

Milas Wut entbrannte. "Ist das eine Drohung? Nein. Du bist für all das verantwortlich." Mila schlug eine Faust auf den Pod-Knopf und die Tür schwang sich zu Casey und piepste, als sie versiegelt wurde. Mila atmete hart und stolzierte zurück ins Cockpit.

Rhys hob seine Augenbrauen an und wartete darauf, dass sie sprechen konnte.

"Du hattest Recht. Sie ist eine Lügnerin. Jedes Wort aus ihrem Mund war eine Lüge, und sie will nur, dass ich sie befreie."

Rhys verengte seine Augen, durchsuchte Milas Gesicht, machte sich Sorgen um sie. Er fuhr mit einer Hand an ihrem Arm entlang. "Alles in Ordnung?"

"Es geht mir gut", sagte Mila und versuchte, um den riesigen Klumpen in ihrem Hals herum zu reden.

"Du musst dich nur immer daran erinnern.... das ist nicht dein Freund da drin. Es ist jemand anderes."

"Ich weiß. Bringen wir sie einfach zurück nach Tevistal."

Mila und Rhys schnallten sich wieder an, und sie hielt den Scanner hoch, als sie ihren Kurs zurück zu dem Planeten zurückverfolgten, den sie gerade verlassen hatten.

"Ich bin erschöpft." Mila lehnte sich auf dem Sitz zurück. Sie hatten seit fast zwanzig Stunden nicht mehr geschlafen.

"Sobald wir sie übergeben, stürzen wir ab."

Mila murmelte eine unverbindliche Antwort.

"Willst du schlafen, während ich fliege? Du siehst aus, als ob du es brauchst."

"Oh, danke. Nein. Ich glaube nicht, dass ich das könnte, selbst wenn ich es wollte."

"Geht es dir wirklich gut?"

Mila löste ihr langes braunes Haar von der Krawatte und fuhr mit den Fingern durch sie hindurch. "Ehrlich? Nein."

"Ich bin bereit zu hören, was sie gesagt hat, wann immer du bereit bist, es zu teilen."

"Genau das, was du gesagt hast, dass sie es tun wird. Sie behauptete, sie sei keine schlechte Terroristin, was auch immer das bedeutet. Sie sagt, dass ihr Vater in .... illegale Tests verwickelt ist. Sie sagt, sie arbeitet mit PF zusammen - the People First Crazies." Mila drückte ihre Lippen zusammen. Sie konnte sich nicht dazu durchringen, die Dinge zu sagen, die ihre eigene Mutter betreffen könnten.

Rhys hat seinen Kiefer bearbeitet. "Also ist Casey eine Fassade für etwas Größeres, und ihr Vater ist genauso schlimm wie sie, aber niemand in der gesamten UEE hat es seit mehr als einem Jahrzehnt verstanden." Er schüttelte den Kopf. "Nun, die Advocacy wird wissen, was sie mit ihr machen soll. Das ist nicht unser Job."

"Ja, ich weiß."

Mila dachte an das junge Mädchen, mit dem sie befreundet war. Dünn und zierlich, lange schwarze Haare, die immer in ihren intelligenten Augen hängen. "Ich verstehe es nicht."

"Menschen ändern sich."

"Aber seit wir Kinder waren.... Als wir zwölf waren, war da dieses Mädchen in der Schule, Lia. Wirklich wohlhabend, die diese lächerlichen Partys in ihrer Villa veranstalteten. Sie brachten Spiele, teure Preise, die Art von Fahrgeschäften, die man auf Messen finden würde. Es war verrückt. Wir waren alle mit ihr befreundet, bis ich sie eines Tages in der Akademie aus Versehen beleidigte. Also war ich die Einzige, die nicht zu dieser Party eingeladen wurde. Casey kündigte an, dass sie mit Lia vor allen Leuten fertig war, dann blieb sie in der Nacht der Party zu Hause und beobachtete alte Videos mit mir in unserem Crashraum. Sie tat immer solche Dinge für die Menschen, die ihr wichtig waren. Immer so.... loyal. Nichts davon passt zusammen."

"Es gibt nie einen Grund, das zu tun, was sie getan hat."

Eine lange Stille erstreckte sich zwischen ihnen, und Milas Verstand kämpfte darum, sich mit dem Casey auseinanderzusetzen, den sie gekannt hatte, und dem Casey, der in der Kapsel auf Devana eingesperrt war.

Die Geschichte, die Casey erzählt hatte.... über das Auffinden der illegalen Forschung, über die Entscheidung, sie selbst zu reparieren.... sie hat sich mit dem alten Casey abgestimmt. Es ließ Mila zweifeln.... alles. Und die Tatsache, dass sie Zweifel hatte, machte ihr Angst. An diesem Job gab es keinen Zweifel.

"Was ist, wenn Casey die Wahrheit sagt?" Sie ist rausgerutscht.

Rhys versteifte sich in seinem Sitz. "Dann lassen wir die Advocacy das entscheiden", sagte er vorsichtig. Er sah zu ihr hin, studierte ihr Gesicht. "Wir bleiben bei der Mission. Das Richtige ist, sie auszuhändigen. Wenn sie feststellen, dass sie die Wahrheit sagt, können die zuständigen Behörden damit umgehen. Du und ich werden von all dem wegkommen.... und ein paar Ausfallzeiten bekommen. Das war der Plan, oder?"

"Richtig", antwortete Mila schnell.

Nach ein paar unangenehmen Minuten räusperte sich Rhys. "Weißt du, das ist das meiste, was du mir je über deine Vergangenheit erzählt hast."

"Du bist ein Kopfgeldjäger." Mila sagte, froh, das Thema Casey fallen zu lassen. "Hast du mich nicht recherchiert, bevor wir ins Geschäft kamen?"

Rhys grinste, aber es hatte keine wirkliche Freude dahinter. "Ja. Du hast gute Arbeit geleistet, dich von der Karte zu wischen. Evony, was?"

Mila zuckte zusammen. "Ja. Meine Familie hat mich irgendwie verleugnet, als ich der Gilde beitrat. Das war nicht das Leben, das sie für ihr einziges Kind geplant hatten. Ich beschloss, neu anzufangen, meinen zweiten Vornamen zu benutzen."

"Wir alle haben Geschichten.... und viele von uns wählen die Kopfgeldjagd, um diese zurückzulassen. Ich folgte meinem Bauchgefühl über dich." Rhys traf ihre Augen, und sie konnte das offene Vertrauen sehen, das dort gezeigt wurde. "Und ich weiß, dass ich die richtige Entscheidung getroffen habe."

Mila lächelte, und sie verstummten für den Rest des Rückfluges nach Tevistal.

Rhys vertraute ihr.

Aber konnte sie sich selbst vertrauen?

Die Grube in Milas Magen wurde schlimmer, als Rhys wieder an den Docks von Tevistal landete. Er kam mit der Wartung und verbrauchte das letzte ihrer Creds, um den vorderen Bildschirm zu reparieren und das Manövertriebwerk zu ersetzen.

"Ich habe gerade genug, um einen Luftschweber einzustellen", sagte er zu Mila, als er die Adresse des Advocacy-Büros und eine Liste der Agenten, die dort gearbeitet haben, ansprach. "Wir können nicht riskieren, den Aufenthaltsort des Phantoms zu übertragen. Ich kenne diesen Advocacy-Agenten", sagte er und zeigte auf einen Namen. "Ich habe schon einmal mit ihm zusammengearbeitet, und ich vertraue ihm. Ich werde mich persönlich mit ihm in Verbindung setzen, damit wir Casey übergeben können. Dann werden wir bezahlt und verschwinden von hier."

Mila nickte, und Rhys ging zurück zu ihrem Quartier, um sich in Planetenkleidung zu verwandeln und seine Ausrüstung zu schnappen. Mila drückte ihre Hände fest in ihrem Schoß und beobachtete, wie die Arbeiter begannen, das Cockpit von außen zu flicken.

Ich kann das schaffen. Ich kann Casey ausliefern.

Mila stand auf, als Rhys zurück zu ihr ging.

Sie senkte die vordere Rampe für ihn und blickte zu ihm auf, zu der Sorge in seinem Gesicht und fragte sich, wie ihr eigenes Gesicht aussah. Seine Augen knitterten um die Kanten und er lehnte sich nach unten, um seine Lippen an ihre zu drücken. Sie küsste ihn zurück, genoss seine Wärme, bereit Rhys und seine Loyalität und sein Vertrauen, um ihren Zweifel über Casey auszuräumen.

Er wickelte sie in eine enge Umarmung. Sie lauschte dem Klopfen seines Herzens unter seinem Hemd, und ein neues Gefühl der Angst blühte in ihr auf.

Sie wollte ihn nicht gehen lassen, aber er zog sich schließlich zurück. "Ich sollte bald mit Agenten zurück sein. Lasst niemanden in dieses Schiff."

"Werde ich nicht."

"Alles wird gut werden." Rhys küsste sie wieder sanft, und dann beobachtete sie seinen Rücken, als er die Rampe hinunter zu den Docks ging.

Mila zog die Rampe ein und ging zurück zum Sitz des Co-Piloten, ohne sich erlauben zu können, die Kapsel mit Casey zu sehen.

Sie hatte es noch nie so schwer gehabt, einen Verbrecher zu finden. Aber dann hatte sie noch nie persönlich einen solchen Verbrecher gekannt. Es war gut, dass Rhys sich darum kümmerte. Das konnte sie nicht.

Er hatte Vertrauen in sie, und das bedeutete alles. Das war jetzt ihr Leben. Und sie musste ihren Job machen.

Aber.....

Mila hat ihr mobiGlas aktiviert und auf das lokale Netzwerk zugegriffen. Sie suchte ein Jahrzehnt zurück und suchte nach alten Nachrichtenbeiträgen über Owen Phan und Casey Phans Tod.

Das erste Bild, das sie hochzog, war von Owen Phan während seines gescheiterten Senatslaufs. Owen und Caseys Mutter Lynn standen bei einer Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltung zusammen. Und neben ihnen: Milas Eltern. Milas Herz taumelte. Ihre Mutter stand zwischen ihrem Vater und Owen. Sie zog ein weiteres Dutzend Bilder hoch, und mehr als die Hälfte von ihnen zeigte ihre Eltern mit den Phans. Wenn Casey die Wahrheit sagen würde, dann würde Caseys Prozess ihre beiden Familien zerstören.

Und wenn es wahr war, bedeutete es, dass ihre eigene Mutter sie angelogen hatte, sie trauern ließ, als Casey nicht einmal tot war. Mila atmete tief durch und drückte ihre Wut über den Gedanken herunter. Sie suchte nach Artikeln über Caseys Tod.

Phan Pharmaceutical Erbin gefunden ermordet außerhalb der Welt

Mila hatte diese Aussage dutzende Male gelesen. Casey hatte eine eigene Reise unternommen. Jemand hatte sie getötet. Falscher Ort, falsche Zeit. Mörder nie gefunden. Die Familie ist am Boden zerstört. Keine neuen Spuren. Fall abgeschlossen.

Mila hat eine neue Abfrage gestartet.

Phan Pharmazeutische, illegale Biowaffen

Mehr als tausend Ergebnisse erschienen. Mila raste durch sie hindurch. Die meisten von ihnen waren PR-Veröffentlichungen von Phan Pharmaceutical selbst und förderten all die harte Arbeit, die sie geleistet hatten, um die Entwicklung von Biowaffen zu stoppen. Spectrum brachte sie nirgendwo hin. Sie musste tief in die Bretter eintauchen. Sie wechselte ihr Profil zu einer Persona, die sie für genau solche Gelegenheiten aufgebaut hatte, und begann, Fäden zu pingen.

Innerhalb von Sekunden erschienen Meldungen.

Illegale Testpersonen.

Nachweis der Entwicklung von Biowaffen.

Vermutete Einrichtungen.

Mila, das Herz im Hals, scannte die Dokumente, die jemand namens "DarkStar" hochgeladen hatte. Die Liste enthielt alle Einrichtungen, die das Phantom in den letzten Monaten getroffen haben soll. Warum hatte Mila nicht schon einmal daran gedacht, diese Forschung zu betreiben? Sie war so sehr darauf konzentriert gewesen, das Phantom aufzuspüren, dass sie jede Möglichkeit ignoriert hatte, dass Phan Pharmaceuticals etwas getan haben könnte, um die Angriffe zu verdienen.

Aber es gab nie einen guten Grund für Terrorismus. Es gab keine.

Ein anderer Benutzer hatte Dokumente mit der Behauptung veröffentlicht, dass Phans Forschungseinrichtung über Gen bis zu seinen Augen in psychoaktiven Waffen steckt. Es war die dritte Einrichtung, die das Phantom angegriffen hatte.

Mila hat die Dokumente hochgeladen. Interne Notizen mit dem Phan Pharmaceuticals Logo auf der Oberseite. Redigierte Anweisungen wurden wiederhergestellt. Verweise auf das ILIOS-Projekt. Mila überflutete sie, ihr Herz klopfte.

100% Todesrate

Schnelle Ausbreitung durch Körperkontakt

Quarantäne

Käufer aus vier Welten

Das war kein Beweis. Vielleicht haben sie an einem Heilmittel für etwas gearbeitet, nicht an einer Krankheit. Aber welche Krankheit gab es noch, die eine 100%ige Sterblichkeitsrate hatte.... etwas, wofür die Menschen eine Heilung kaufen wollten? Mila verließ ihre Suche und kam auf die Beine. Ihre Hände zitterten, als sie sich auf den Weg zurück zu Caseys Kapsel machte und den Code eingab. Es piepste zurück zu ihr und blinkte rot.

Sie hat es noch einmal versucht. Es verweigerte ihr den Zugang. Nochmal.

Rhys hatte den Code darauf geändert. Er hatte ihr nicht vertraut.

Die Umsetzung war ein Tritt in den Bauch. Sie nahm an, dass Dinge.... glaubten, dass Dinge wahr seien. Sie hatte gedacht, er würde ihr vertrauen. Aber sie hatte ihr ganzes Leben auf Lügen aufgebaut. Und jetzt brach alles, was sie als Wahrheit genommen hatte, um sie herum zusammen.

Mila schluckte hart und hielt ihr mobiGlas an das Panel. Sie aktivierte das Hackprogramm, das sie damals im Hostel benutzt hatte, und die Tür schwang auf.

Casey blinzelte sie an. "Die Anwaltschaft hier?"

"Woher weiß ich, dass du die Wahrheit über die Biowaffen sagst? Hast du Beweise?"

Casey's Augen wurden größer. "Ich zerstöre alles, wenn ich reingehe. Das ist der Punkt."

"Ich kann nicht -"

"Evony. Ich kannte dich. Du kanntest mich. Lüge ich dich an?" Ihre Augen waren groß und flehentlich. Mila schüttelte den Kopf. "Ich weiß nicht.... I . . .”

Sie traf Caseys Augen und versuchte, das Mädchen zu sehen, das sie früher kannte. Mila konnte nicht für den Mord an ihrer Freundin in der Kindheit verantwortlich sein. Nicht, nachdem sie schon einmal getrauert hatte. Und sie konnte es nicht riskieren, dass Casey die ganze Salinas-Familie mit ihr zu Fall bringt. Weil ihr etwas in ihrem Bauchgefühl sagte, dass ihre Mutter alles getan haben könnte, was nötig war, um der Phan-Familie zum Erfolg zu verhelfen. Ihre Mutter war durchaus in der Lage, die Realität so zu manipulieren, dass sie zu ihren Zielen passt.

stöhnte Mila. "Wenn ich dich gehen lasse, gehst du dann? Du wirst gehen und nie wieder zurückkommen?"

Ein Licht sprang Casey in die Augen. "Wenn du mir helfen kannst, zu dem Treffen mit meiner Gönnerin zu kommen, wird sie mich in Xi'an Gebiet bringen. Du wirst mich nie wieder sehen oder hören. Ich schwöre es."

"Ich will nicht, dass Rhys in diese Sache verwickelt wird... Ich sage:............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Ich sage, du hast mich überwältigt, das Schiff gestohlen. Sie können mich später finden."

"Ja. Wir werden ihn da raushalten. Ich verspreche es."

"Du lässt mich das besser nicht bereuen." Mila benutzte ihre Mobi, um die Manschetten von der Innenbar zu lösen.

Mila presste ihren Kiefer fest, als sie Caseys Handschellen löste. Wenn sie sich in dieser Sache geirrt hat, könnte Casey versuchen, sie jetzt zu überwältigen und zu entkommen. Aber die Schläge kamen nie.

Stattdessen warf Casey ihre Arme um Mila und überraschte sie mit einer engen Umarmung. "Das wirst du nicht bereuen." Sie trat zurück und massierte ihre roten Handgelenke. "Jetzt sag mir, was ich tun muss."

"Ich werde uns hier rausfliegen", sagte Mila. "Du führst uns zu deinem Treffpunkt."

Sie eilten zum Cockpit, und Mila atmete kaum, erwartete immer noch einen Verrat und wartete darauf, zu sehen, ob sie einen Fehler gemacht hatte. Aber Casey hat sie nicht verraten. Zumindest noch nicht.

Direkt nachdem sie sich in ihre Sitze geschnallt hatten, knisterte das Kombi. "Mila", Rhys' Stimme kam durch. "Zehn Minuten bis zum Schweben."

Mila hat einen Finger in den Comm gestochen. "Erhalten. Alles ist... gut."

"Bis bald", sagte Rhys.

Angst drohte Mila zu verschlingen, aber sie versuchte, die Gefühle zu ignorieren, als sie die Kontrollen übernahm. Auf dem Sitz neben ihr zog Casey die Kommunikation hoch und bat um eine Notfallfreigabe, um zu starten.

Wenn sie es außerhalb der Welt schaffen würden, würde Rhys ihr nie, nie vergeben. Aber es war zu spät. Sie hatte ihre Entscheidung getroffen, und jetzt saß Casey Phan, das Phantom, neben ihr und war bereit, dem UEE-Raum ein für alle Mal zu entkommen.

Die Freigabe kam herein, und Mila feuerte die Maschinen an.

"Danke, Ev. Ich meine es ernst. Ich verdiene dein Vertrauen nicht, nachdem ich...."

Mila schüttelte nur den Kopf. "Nein. Das tust du nicht."

" Mila." Rhys' panische Stimme kam über den Funk. "Mila, ich habe dich in Sichtweite. Warum sind die Motoren hochgefahren? Was ist hier los?"

Mila aktivierte die Kommunikation und zuckte gegen einen Ruck von Schmerzen in ihrer Schulter. Das betäubende Mittel verblasste, die Verbrennung ihrer Pistolenwunde kehrte zurück. Casey hatte sie erschossen, und hier befreite sie sie. Mila starrte auf den Comm und versuchte darüber nachzudenken, was sie zu Rhys sagen könnte. Aber es gab nichts zu sagen.

Sie müsste ihn anlügen, wenn sie hier lebend rauskommt. Was auch immer sie zusammen hatten.... es war jetzt vorbei, verbrannt durch ihre Entscheidung. Und je weniger er wusste, desto besser wäre er dran.

Es tut mir so leid, Rhys.

Sie nahm ihren Finger ohne ein Wort zu sagen von der Kommunikation und hob Devana in den Himmel.

WIRD FORTGESETZT......

Writer’s Note: Phantom Bounty: Part Three was published originally in Jump Point 3.3. Read Part One here and Part Two here.
Mila and Rhys had chased the Phantom for months, had spent nearly every last credit, had put all their hope in finding her and collecting the bounty.

The Phantom stood in front of them at last, cuffed inside their prisoner pod. Mila should have felt elated, but all she felt was shock.

Evony Salinas. Mila had stopped going by Evony a decade ago, yet the Phantom knew her real name. And the Phantom’s face looked just like her former best friend’s — Casey Phan — a girl found murdered ten years ago.

It couldn’t be possible. But it was. The terrorist who had hit all those Phan Pharmaceutical labs was the founder’s own daughter. And she wasn’t dead. She’s alive.

Mila kept her eyes on the Phantom and wavered on her feet. Rhys reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Mila whispered.

Casey swallowed and averted her eyes, looking at the wall behind them. “And you’re supposed to be on Terra.”

“You . . . you almost killed me.”

Emotions Mila hadn’t expected flashed across Casey’s face. Anxiety. Regret. “I swear I didn’t know it was you. You shouldn’t have followed me.”

Rhys stepped in front of Mila, blocking her view of Casey, and made a move to shut the pod.

“Stop,” Mila commanded.

Rhys sharply responded, “She’s a terrorist, Mila.”

“I need to talk to her.”

Rhys paused and stepped back, working his jaw. “We can’t stay here. We’re sitting ducks.” He looked at the Phantom. “Did you contact anyone to meet you?”

Casey pressed her lips together and didn’t answer.

Mila clenched her hands into fists. “Everyone thinks you’re dead. How could you . . . and now you’re attacking your father’s labs — killing people?”

Casey’s nostrils flared. “It’s not like that. I’ll tell you. But not with him here.” She pointed to Rhys. “I don’t know him.”

Rhys let out an abrupt laugh. “You tried to kill us three times today. That has to be some kind of record. Now you wanna give Mila some sob story, hope she’ll free you? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

Casey went rigid as Rhys started searching her spacesuit for anything she might be hiding.

Conflicting emotions swirled within Mila, anger warring with relief. How the hell could Casey be alive? She’d seen the reports of her murder, she’d attended the funeral. It was basically a state ceremony, with many ranking Terran officials in attendance.

Mila wore a solid black floor-length dress and a widebrimmed Terran hat. She covered her face, crying the whole time as Casey’s father gave the eulogy. Afterward, her own mother stayed by her side every day, helping her to get through the grief. Her mother had always supported her until the day she’d turned her back on her family to become a bounty hunter.

And it had all started with Casey’s death.

Casey Phan was supposed to be dead.

Mila met Casey’s eyes. This . . . this person in front of her couldn’t be her friend. Was it some kind of trick?

Rhys finished searching Casey, found nothing, and slammed a fist into the button on the pod. The door eased shut, locking Casey away again.

When the door beeped, verifying it was secured, Rhys turned to Mila. He ran a hand through his brown hair, clearly trying to make sense of the situation. He shook his head. “Look. We gotta get out of here and back to Tevistal to hand her over to the Advocacy. We’re too exposed right now if she called for back-up.”

Mila nodded. She cast a glance back at the pod and saw the top of Casey’s head through the glass panel. Her head was hanging low, the expression on her face not visible. How could this be happening?

Mila’s stomach churned as she followed Rhys back to the cockpit. “Please. You fly. I’m no good right now.”

Rhys took the pilot’s seat and fired up the engines. He eased them away from the cargo ship and past Casey’s abandoned Cutlass, through the floating detritus of the junkyard.

Mila pulled up the scanner, searching for signs of powered ships, but she found none. The scans were either blocked by the debris, or they were alone out here.

She and Rhys sat in tense silence until they reached the edge of the junkyard. A few ships popped up on their scanner, but all of them were docked at the nearby platform, Septa. None of them were headed their way.

“The Advocacy will want to go back and search her ship.”

“I logged the coordinates,” Mila said.

They pulled into open space, and the revelations of the last few minutes hung heavy in the air between them.

Mila took a deep breath.

“You asked me back on Tevistal . . . you asked why I couldn’t let this bounty go?”

Rhys nodded, but didn’t speak.

Mila sighed and settled back in her seat, trying not to be so aware of Casey, locked in a pod behind them. “Casey and I were really close. We grew up together. My father owned a components manufacturer, and her father owned a biotech firm, and they did business together. Our families spent a lot of time together. I thought I knew her.” Mila’s voice broke, but she forced herself to continue. “When I was sixteen, Casey went missing. They eventually found her body off-world — she’d been murdered. Her father threw everything he had at finding her, then at trying to track down her killer, but they never figured it out. I thought she was kidnapped or lured off planet. I couldn’t believe she’d just take a transport off-world and not even tell me where she was going.”

“So everyone believed she was dead.”

“Yeah. They did. I did.” Mila turned toward Rhys and gripped the armrest tightly. “Casey’s death ten years ago was the reason I went into bounty hunting. I couldn’t get justice for Casey, but I could for others. My family basically disowned me when I left. And when a terrorist started attacking Phan Pharmaceuticals again a few months ago. . . it brought up all those old feelings.” Mila’s eyes burned, and she tried to keep tears from coming, but failed. “Casey’s murderer had gotten away, but now someone else was hurting the Phan family, and I could actually do something about it this time.”

Rhys stopped the ship and let it drift. He took off his harness and leaned toward her to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Mila unstrapped her harness and got up. Rhys stood with her, wrapping her in a hug, which only made her cry harder. She gave in, letting him hold her for a few moments, then got it together and wiped her eyes.

She stepped away from him and blew out a breath. “I gotta talk to her. I can’t hand her over without finding out the truth. I need to know what happened.”

Rhys narrowed his eyes. “I don’t trust her. She’s dangerous. I need you to remember she’s not the friend you grew up with. She might say anything to gain your sympathy.”

“I know. I know. I just . . .”

“I’ll stay up here. . . I can listen in if you want me to.”

“No. She said she wanted to talk to me alone. Do you trust me?”

Rhys touched her face, wiping away the last of her tears. “You know I do.”

Mila gave him a small smile and went to clean up at the sink to make sure she didn’t look a mess. She couldn’t let Casey see how much of an effect she’d had on her. Rhys was right. Casey was a terrorist now. She’d faked her own death. Those were the actions of a sociopath, at the very least. But she still needed to hear what Casey had to say.

Mila typed in the pod’s code and stepped back as the door swung open. Casey blinked at her blearily and then straightened her shoulders.

“I want to talk,” Mila said.

Casey narrowed her eyes. “Where’s the other guy? I want proof he’s not listening in.”

“He’s not. Take my word for it, or I’m closing this pod. You won’t get another chance to talk.”

The tension hanging in the air was palpable, and a trickle of sweat made its way down Mila’s back.

Finally Casey relented, and she gave a stiff nod.

Mila let out a breath. “Why did you fake your own murder?”

Casey’s eyes softened at something she saw in Mila’s face, which threw Mila off balance again. Could a sociopath show empathy? Or was she faking that, too?

“That’s not what happened,” Casey said. “Trust me . . . it’s eaten away at me that people I loved thought I was dead. But it was better that way. Safer for everyone involved.”

“Explain.”

“Are you taking me to the Advocacy now? How far out are we?”

Mila stepped forward and jabbed a finger into Casey’s chest. Casey flinched back. “No. I’m asking the questions. And you’re answering. What happened to you?”

Casey licked her lips. “Right before I . . . before I disappeared . . . I discovered some things. About what my father’s company was doing. Illegal bio testing on Human subjects. The more I dug the worse it got. He was making bioweapons, Evony.”

“Mila. My name is Mila now. And you’re lying. If your father was into any of that, the UEE would have shut him down years ago.”

Casey barked out a laugh. “There’s so much that goes on under the surface. People get paid off along the way to keep things hidden. ‘Law-abiding’ Citizens deal in just as much dirt as the people you hunt. But I guess you wouldn’t see it that way. I mean, you’re a bounty hunter now. How did that happen?”

Rage flooded Mila. I did this for you. She suddenly couldn’t stand to look at Casey any longer. She lifted a hand to shut the pod.

“Wait,” Casey said. “Okay. You don’t have to believe me, but I’ll tell you everything.”

Mila let her hand fall away from the button. “Fine. Talk.”

“I heard my father on a private comm. . . He said things about experiments, getting rid of the evidence. It scared me. So I snooped through his mobi, found what I had hoped I wouldn’t — terrible, cold reports. Then I had proof. But I didn’t know who to go to.”

“We were close.” Mila’s words came out like an accusation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was terrified you’d go to your parents. Do you know how much stock they have in Phan Pharmaceuticals? They’d want to cover it up just like my dad did. When he caught me poking around, he got so angry I knew he was guilty. I needed to find a way to stop him . . . but how could I turn my own father in to the UEE?”

“You apparently don’t mind blowing up his facilities and employees.”

“I didn’t . . .” Casey shook her head, looking frustrated. “Just listen. I showed up at a few of those anti-pharm meetings. I met a guy who called himself Desh. Said he and some others were secretly working to stop the pharmaceutical corporations that engaged in dirty work. I confessed I had information about a company — and he promised if I provided proof, he and his friends could make it stop. They said that no one else would get hurt.”

“Seriously? You expect me to believe this? Were you really that stupid?”

Casey’s face screwed up with regret. “I was sixteen.”

“And what happened at these meetings? What happened with Desh?”

“He asked me to bring the proof with him to meet the other members. He and I boarded transports separately and met up off-world. But it all went sideways from there. He took me to a ship waiting at the edge of the system, and that’s where I found out he was part of PF.”

“People First. Yeah, I know them. Bunch of conspiracy theory nut jobs. They weren’t mentioned anywhere in your bounty. You work alone. And they were smalltime. They haven’t been active in years.”

“You’re wrong. They’ve just gotten better funding. And got better at covering their tracks.”

“So what happened? You just . . . faked your own death and joined PF?”

Casey shook her head sadly. “Not exactly. Two Advocacy agents infiltrated us. Desh took them both out, but not before they transmitted an image of us back to Terra. We got out of there, but I couldn’t go back to Terra.”

This had to be an elaborate lie, but how else could she explain how her dead friend had disappeared from Terra as a teenager and turned up as a terrorist ten years later?

“PF took me with them,” Casey continued. “They helped me disappear. They had people still on Terra who told me that my dad covered it all up . . . made it look like I was just an innocent bystander who died during the shootout. He made sure my name wouldn’t be connected with PF. He covered it up with your mother’s help, Ev.”

Mila’s pulse sped up, and she shook her head. “No. No, my mother wouldn’t do that.”

“She did.” Casey’s voice turned bitter. “Remember, my dad was making a run for the Terran Senate that year. He couldn’t have it getting out I was seen with terrorists.”

Mila pressed her lips together and laid a hand on the wall to stay standing. Her mother. A cover-up. She felt suddenly dizzy. Nauseous. Her mother had high-level connections as Chair of the Governors Council Budget Committee. If she was part of a cover-up . . .

“PF protected me,” Casey said again, interrupting Mila’s thoughts. “They gave me a new identity. I soon learned they destroyed facilities where illegal experiments were taking place. They freed test subjects who could be saved. We have benefactors in and out of UEE space that help fund our mission. PF seemed to be doing the right thing.”

“You sound proud of yourself.” Mila’s voice rose. “Proud to be a terrorist. How many people have you killed?”

“I didn’t.” Casey pulled against her restraints like she wanted to move her hands, plead with Mila to believe her. A desperate look crossed her face. “Whatever they say about me isn’t true. I get in, get the goods, destroy the labs, and get out. I’m not a murderer.”

“You almost killed us. You planted a bomb in a hostel.”

A rueful smile cracked through Casey’s desperation. “But was it empty when you showed up?”

Mila narrowed her eyes and didn’t respond.

Casey nodded. “It should have been empty. I paid a guy to warn everyone. It wasn’t my fault if they stayed.”

“So that’s how you sleep at night. You just lie to yourself. Explain away everything bad you do.”

Casey got quiet and averted her eyes. “No. I do what I have to do. Doesn’t everyone?”

“Why are you even telling me all this?”

“You wanted to know.”

“If you think it’s going to make me free you . . . it’s not. The Advocacy will try you for your crimes. You have to pay for your choices.”

Casey’s eyes widened. “Look — the things I’ve done probably have saved millions, maybe billions of lives. Do you know what was in the last lab I hit? They were working on a bioweapon that could take out entire worlds. Entire worlds, Ev. My father has been playing with fire for years, and we finally had the funding and information we needed to hit his labs. If I didn’t do these jobs, some other PF agent would have. And they might have left fewer survivors. He’s my father. His crimes were my responsibility. But. . . that job was the last job I was ever going to do for them. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t. Of course you’d say it was your last job.”

“I was giving it all up. PF doesn’t just let people quit the organization . . . once you’re in, you’re in for life. I was on my way to meet someone who was going to smuggle me into Xi’an territory. If you let me go now, you’ll never hear from me again. But I have to go somewhere they can’t find me either.”

Mila stayed silent for a few, long moments, then finally met Casey’s eyes. “You were my best friend. I would have done anything to help you.”

“You can help me now.”

“No. You’re the Advocacy’s problem now.”

Real fear appeared on Casey’s face. “The Advocacy can’t protect me. The second I’m in custody, I’m a liability to PF. I’m a problem to be taken care of. There’s a reason no one knows much about them. And if they don’t get me, my father will.”

Mila’s chest tightened, and she found herself repeating the words Rhys had said to her back on Tevistal. “There’s always a choice. Always. You made the wrong one. I’ll make sure you’re taken to a secure facility.”

“I have to warn you, then. If I do manage to make it to trial . . . I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my father is exposed. Your mother covered up my death, so I can’t promise she won’t be a casualty. After that . . . if my father doesn’t kill me, PF will. If you hand me in . . . you’ll be responsible for all of that.”

Mila’s anger flared. “Is that a threat? No. You’re responsible for all of that.” Mila slammed a fist on the pod button and the door swung closed on Casey, beeping when it sealed. Breathing hard, Mila stalked back to the cockpit.

Rhys lifted his brows, waiting for her to speak.

“You were right. She’s a liar. Every word out of her mouth was a lie, and she just wants me to free her.”

Rhys narrowed his eyes, searching Mila’s face, worried about her. He ran a hand along her arm. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Mila said, trying to talk around the giant lump in her throat.

“You just gotta keep remembering . . . that’s not your friend in there. It’s someone else.”

“I know. Let’s just get her back to Tevistal.”

Mila and Rhys strapped back in, and she kept the scanner up as they retraced their course back to the planet they’d just left.

“I’m exhausted.” Mila leaned back in the seat. They hadn’t slept in almost twenty hours.

“As soon as we hand her over we’ll crash.”

Mila murmured a noncommittal reply.

“Do you want to sleep while I fly? You do look like you need it.”

“Oh, thanks. No. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”

“Are you really okay?”

Mila released her long brown hair from its tie and ran her fingers through it. “Honestly? No.”

“I’m ready to hear what she said, whenever you’re ready to share it.”

“Just what you said she would. Claimed she wasn’t a bad terrorist, whatever that means. She says her father is into . . . illegal testing. She says she’s working with PF — the People First crazies.” Mila pressed her lips together. She couldn’t bring herself to say the things that could implicate her own mother.

Rhys worked his jaw. “So Casey’s a front for something bigger, and her dad is just as bad as she is, but no one in the entire UEE has caught on to it in more than a decade.” He shook his head. “Well, the Advocacy will know what to do with her. It’s not our job.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Mila thought of the young girl she’d been friends with. Thin and petite, long black hair always hanging in her intelligent eyes. “I don’t get it.”

“People change.”

“Ever since we were children, though . . . When we were twelve, there was this girl at school, Lia. Really wealthy, who held these ridiculous parties at her mansion. They’d bring in games, expensive prizes, the kinds of rides you’d find at fairs. It was crazy. We were all friends with her . . . until I accidentally insulted her one day at Academy. So I was the only one not invited to this party. Casey announced she was done with Lia in front of everyone, then stayed home the night of the party, watching old vids with me in our crash room. She was always doing stuff like that for the people she cared about. Always so . . . loyal. None of this adds up.”

“There’s never a good enough reason to do what she’s done.”

A long silence stretched on between them, and Mila’s mind struggled to come to terms with the Casey she’d known and the Casey locked up in the pod on Devana.

The story Casey had told . . . about finding the illegal research, about deciding to fix it herself . . . it did line up with the old Casey. It made Mila doubt . . . everything. And the fact that she felt doubt scared her. There was no room for doubt in this job.

“What if Casey’s telling the truth?” she blurted out.

Rhys stiffened in his seat. “Then we let the Advocacy determine that,” he said carefully. He looked toward her, studying her face. “We stick to the mission. The right thing to do is hand her over. If they determine she’s telling the truth, the proper authorities can handle it. You and I will get away from all this . . . get some downtime. That was the plan, right?”

“Right,” Mila answered quickly.

After a few awkward minutes, Rhys cleared his throat. “You know, this is the most you’ve ever told me about your past.”

“You’re a bounty hunter.” Mila said, glad to drop the subject of Casey. “Didn’t you research me before we went into business together?”

Rhys smirked, but it had no real mirth behind it. “Yeah. You did a good job wiping yourself off the map. Evony, huh?”

Mila winced. “Yeah. My family kind of disowned me when I joined the guild. This wasn’t the life they had planned for their only child. I decided to start over, use my middle name.”

“We all have histories . . . and a lot of us choose bounty hunting to leave those behind. I followed my gut about you.” Rhys met her eyes, and she could see the open trust displayed there. “And I know I made the right decision.”

Mila smiled, and they lapsed into silence for the rest of the flight back to Tevistal.

Rhys trusted her.

But could she trust herself?

The pit in Mila’s stomach grew worse as Rhys landed back at the Tevistal docks. He commed with maintenance and used up the last of their creds to get the forward screen patched and the maneuvering thruster replaced.

“I have just enough to hire a hover,” he said to Mila, as he brought up the Advocacy office address and a list of the agents who worked there. “We can’t risk broadcasting the Phantom’s whereabouts. I know this Advocacy agent,” he said, pointing to a name. “I’ve worked with him before, and I trust him. I’ll make contact with him personally so we can hand Casey over. Then we get paid, and we get outta here.”

Mila nodded, and Rhys headed back to their quarters to change into planetside clothes and grab his gear. Mila squeezed her hands tight in her lap and watched as the workers began to patch the cockpit from the outside.

I can do this. I can turn Casey over.

Mila stood up as Rhys headed back toward her.

She lowered the forward ramp for him and looked up at him, at the worry on his face, wondering what her own face looked like. His eyes crinkled around the edges and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. She kissed him back, relishing his warmth, willing Rhys and his loyalty and trust to erase her doubt over Casey.

He wrapped her in a tight hug. She listened to the thump of his heart beneath his shirt, and a new feeling of dread bloomed within her.

She didn’t want to let him go, but he finally pulled away. “I should be back soon with agents. Don’t let anyone inside this ship.”

“I won’t.”

“Everything will be fine.” Rhys kissed her gently again, and then she was watching his back as he headed down the ramp to the docks.

Mila retracted the ramp and went back to the co-pilot’s seat, not allowing herself even to look at the pod holding Casey.

She’d never had such a hard time turning in a criminal before. But then, she’d never personally known a criminal like this. It was good Rhys was handling it. She couldn’t.

He had faith in her, and that meant everything. This was her life now. And she needed to do her job.

But . . .

Mila activated her mobiGlas and accessed the local network. She searched a decade back, looking for old news posts about Owen Phan and Casey Phan’s death.

The first image she pulled up was of Owen Phan during his failed Senate run. Owen and Casey’s mother Lynn stood together at a charity event. And next to them: Mila’s parents. Mila’s heart lurched. Her mother stood between her father and Owen. She pulled up another dozen images, and more than half of them showed her parents with the Phans. If Casey was telling the truth, then Casey’s trial would destroy both their families.

And if it was true, it meant her own mother had lied to her, let her mourn when Casey wasn’t even dead. Mila took a deep breath and pushed down her anger at the thought. She searched for articles on Casey’s death.

Phan Pharmaceutical Heir Found Murdered Off-World

Mila had read this statement dozens of times. Casey had taken a trip on her own. Someone had killed her. Wrong place, wrong time. Murderer never found. Family devastated. No new leads. Case closed.

Mila ran a new query.

Phan Pharmaceutical, Illegal Bioweapons

More than a thousand results appeared. Mila raced through them. Most of them were PR releases from Phan Pharmaceutical themselves, promoting all the hard work they’d done to stop the creation of bioweapons. Spectrum wasn’t getting her anywhere. She was going to have to dive deep into the boards. She switched her profile over to a persona she had built up for just such occasions and began pinging threads.

Within seconds messages appeared.

Illegal test subjects.

Proof of bioweapon development.

Suspected facilities.

Heart in her throat, Mila scanned the documents someone named “DarkStar” had uploaded. The list contained all the facilities the Phantom was reputed to have hit in the past few months. Why hadn’t Mila thought to do this research before? She’d been so focused on tracking down the Phantom, she’d ignored any possibility that Phan Pharmaceuticals might have done something to deserve the attacks.

But there was never a good reason for terrorism. There wasn’t.

Another user had posted documents with the claim that Phan’s research facility on Gen was up to its eyes in psychoactive weapons. It was the third facility the Phantom had attacked.

Mila pulled up the documents. Internal memos with the Phan Pharmaceuticals logo on top. Redacted statements recovered. References made to the ILIOS Project. Mila skimmed them, her heart pounding.

100% fatality rate

Spread quickly through physical contact

Quarantine

Buyers from four worlds

This wasn’t proof. Maybe they were working on a cure for something, not a disease. But what disease still existed that had a 100% fatality rate . . . something people would want to buy a cure for? Mila exited her search and got to her feet. Her hands were shaking as she made her way back to Casey’s pod and typed in the code. It beeped back at her and flashed red.

She tried it again. It denied her access. Again.

Rhys had changed the code on it. He hadn’t trusted her.

The realization was a kick in the gut. She assumed things . . . believed things to be true. She’d thought he trusted her. But she’d built her whole life on lies. And now everything she’d taken as truth was falling apart around her.

Mila swallowed hard and held her mobiGlas up to the panel. She activated the hack program she’d used back at the hostel, and the door swung open.

Casey blinked at her. “The Advocacy here?”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth about the bioweapons? Do you have proof?”

Casey’s eyes widened. “I destroy everything when I go in. That’s the point.”

“I can’t —”

“Evony. I knew you. You knew me. Am I lying to you?” Her eyes were wide, pleading. Mila shook her head. “I don’t know . . . I . . .”

She met Casey’s eyes and tried to see the girl she used to know. Mila couldn’t be responsible for her childhood friend’s murder. Not after she’d already grieved once. And she couldn’t risk Casey bringing down the whole Salinas family with her. Because something in her gut told her that her mother might well have done whatever it took to help the Phan family succeed. Her mother was perfectly capable of manipulating reality to fit with her goals.

Mila groaned. “If I let you go, you’ll leave? You’ll leave and never come back?”

A light sprang into Casey’s eyes. “If you can help me get to the meeting with my patron, she’ll get me into Xi’an territory. You’ll never see or hear from me again. I swear it.”

“I don’t want Rhys involved in this . . . I’ll say . . . I’ll say you overpowered me, stole the ship. They can find me later.”

“Yes. We’ll keep him out of it. I promise.”

“You better not make me regret this.” Mila used her mobi to release the cuffs from the interior bar.

Mila clenched her jaw tight as she loosened Casey’s cuffs. If she was wrong about this, Casey could try to overpower her right now and escape. But the blows never came.

Instead, Casey threw her arms around Mila, surprising her with a tight hug. “You won’t regret this.” She stepped back and massaged her red wrists. “Now tell me what I need to do.”

“I’ll fly us out of here,” Mila said. “You navigate us to your meeting point.”

They hurried to the cockpit, and Mila barely breathed, still expecting a betrayal, waiting to see if she’d made a mistake. But Casey didn’t turn on her. Not yet, anyway.

Right after they’d strapped into their seats, the comm crackled. “Mila,” Rhys’s voice came through. “Ten minutes out by hover.”

Mila jabbed a finger into the comm. “Received. Everything’s . . . good.”

“See you soon,” Rhys said.

Dread threatened to engulf Mila, but she tried to ignore the feelings as she took the controls. In the seat beside her, Casey pulled up the comms and requested emergency clearance to take off.

If they made it off-world, Rhys would never, ever forgive her. But it was too late. She’d made her decision, and now Casey Phan, the Phantom, sat beside her, ready to escape UEE space once and for all.

Clearance came in, and Mila fired up the engines.

“Thank you, Ev. I mean it. I don’t deserve your trust after . . .”

Mila just shook her head. “No. You don’t.”

“Mila.” Rhys’s panicked voice came over the comm. “Mila, I have you in sight. Why are the engines fired up? What’s going on?”

Mila activated the comm, and winced against a jolt of pain in her shoulder. The numbing agent was fading, the burn from her pistol wound returning. Casey had shot her, and here she was freeing her. Mila stared at the comm and tried to think of what she could say to Rhys. But there was nothing to say.

She’d have to lie to him if she got out of this alive. Whatever they’d had together . . . it was over now, burned by her decision. And the less he knew, the better off he’d be.

I’m so sorry, Rhys.

She removed her finger from the comm without saying a word and lifted Devana into the sky.

TO BE CONTINUED…