Page 31 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

When it was finally over, the deck plates were littered with twisted corpses. Nalina leaned against the wall, her hands trembling slightly as she checked her shock prod’s charge.

I studied the corpses, noting details that didn’t add up. Some showed signs of technological modification - crude implants melded with twisted flesh. And they’d been nesting near a functional power conduit, one that hummed with active current.

“They were guarding it,” Nalina said, reaching the same conclusion. “The conduit. Like they were trained.”

I nodded, trying to ignore how quickly she’d recovered her breath after the fight. How steady her hands were as she examined the power readings.

“This leads deeper.” She traced the conduit’s path on her tablet. “And look - pressure’s equalizing ahead. We can remove the rebreathers soon.”

“Convenient.”

She shot me a look. “You think it’s a trap?”

“Everything about this feels like a trap.” I checked my weapons. “Let’s spring it carefully.”

The tunnel opened into what had once been hydroponics bays. The growing pods were empty now, stripped for parts. But someone had repurposed the space. Sophisticated equipment filled the gaps between dead plants - and all of it looked recently used.

“These setups...” Nalina studied the strange configurations. “Never seen anything like them.”

“Necessity breeds innovation.”

A figure emerged from the shadows, aiming something that hummed with lethal energy.

“Don’t move.” Dr. Gondon’s sand-colored skin shifted to match the metallic walls - an Orlian defense mechanism. Her large eyes fixed on us with cold suspicion. “Hands where I can see them.”

I raised my hands slowly. “Doctor. Your son sent me.”

“Lies.” But her aim wavered slightly. “The Consortium’s getting sloppy, sending a Vinduthi. Your kind aren’t known for subtlety.”

“He said to tell you... the stars still shine in Martian caves.”

Her expression changed - shock, then hope, then fresh suspicion. “Where did you hear that?”

“From Ralen. He’s worried about you.”

“Ralen.” Her voice cracked on the name. “He’s alive?”

“He hired me to find you.” I kept my voice gentle. “We’re not your enemies, Doctor.”

“Prove it.” But she’d lowered her weapon slightly.

Nalina stepped forward. “We found Jevik. What was left of him.” She pulled out the modified medical core. “He had this.”

Dr. Gondon’s hands shook as she took the device. “Where... where is he now?”

“Dead.” I watched her reaction carefully. “But he fought the control until the end. Gave us codes to find this place.”

Dr. Gondon turned away, clutching the medical core. “I need to see what’s on this. If Jevik accessed the primary research files...” She moved toward a makeshift workstation, her elbow catching a shelf of equipment.

A series of crashes echoed through the lab - one of Dr. Gondon’s experiments toppling. Glass containers filled with mysterious liquids teetered on the edge of a shelf. Critical samples and weeks of work about to be destroyed.

Nalina moved.

I saw it all with a hunter’s perception - the impossible speed of her reaction, the way she crossed three meters in the blink ofan eye, her hands catching containers that should have already shattered. But there was something wrong in the movement, a fraction of hesitation that shouldn’t have been there.

She set the containers carefully back on the shelf, then swayed slightly. If I hadn’t been watching so closely, I might have missed it.

Dr. Gondon hadn’t missed it either. Her eyes fixed on Nalina with sudden, sharp focus.

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