Page 8 of Devin
"Uh, liquid?"
"Nanites," the woman said from behind him. She leaned over the table. "Thousands of tiny, itty bitty nanites. You want to make a statement?"
"What kind of statement?"
"Generally terrorists like to explain and take credit for their actions before sentencing."
"What? I'm not a terrorist. I'm a waitress. I wouldn't know the first thing about being a terrorist." Wait, what the hell did he mean, before sentencing. There had to be a trial. They had to prove her guilty and all that, didn't they?
"Your pulse is racing. And I can see why. The cameras are a closed system. You thought the nanites would wipe that too. Clever disguise, but not clever enough, not when facial recognition pinged you in the first twelve pics," the female agent explained before turning to her compadre. "Criminals are so stupid."
Yes. Val was stupid. Feisty and her gang must have used her for a patsy. She'd eagerly taken the credits and somehow delivered her own damn self into the hands of the Feds.
"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about," Val protested.
"Doesn't matter. We got enough evidence to get right to it," Mr. Suspicious said. He pressed a button and the vid screen that covered the wall opposite the mirror blinked on and a man in a judge's robe appeared. He was looking over a tablet on his side. It took Val a minute to realize that he wasn’t a typical judge.
"Yes, I see. Quite. As the evidence is overwhelming, in accordance with the Terran-Mahdfel Treaty, I hereby sentence you to the Wildflower Detention Facility where you will be helduntil your fortieth birthday. If you have not been matched by that time, your sentence shall be commuted to life."
"Wait, what happened to ‘Trial by Jury?’" Val asked.
"Not in the case of tampering with the Mahdfel lottery. Any acts of terrorism against the lottery or officials results in the same sentence. You, young lady, unleashed a horde of nanites upon the system and shut down half the eastern seaboard. I think that qualifies."
"I'm... I had no idea what was in the vial." Better to admit to the lesser crime of taking the place of someone than being labeled a terrorist. "They were just using me. I have information about the real people responsible."
"I think you're missing the point here," the judge said. "This conversation is over." The screen blinked off.
Val turned to the woman agent. "No seriously, I can tell you things. I went to this shop and there was this basement."
"Oh, and there were men in bright neon wigs and real pretty lipstick?"
"Exactly!"
The agent leaned in and said very quietly, "We already have them... in the morgue. So unless you want to add more murder charges I'd shut your trap. You don't want to dig yourself in so deep that even the Mahdfel won't take you."
Chapter 4
Devin
It was not an easy thing, to build a city from scratch. Sure, the machines would do most of the work, but first they had to refine the terrain mapping, decide where to put the wells, ground pipes and tunnels, and analyze the structure of the mountain to make sure the rock could hold the stress that Devin planned to put upon it.
He learned quickly that Kave was not a detail-oriented Mahdfel. He wasn't much for looking at plans and making extensive lists of all the minute things that had to be done. He was, however, a people person. All of the incoming Mahdfel took to him right away. It rather astounded Devin to watch the warlord gather his new clan from the new and the old and begin to integrate them into one group.
Devin was not one to participate in groups. He also had little tolerance for picking up the slack for others.
Today, it was Haxit. He was not a good fit for the project.
Haxit was built as a brawler, pure and simple. He had more sheer strength and bulk than any other Mahdfel in the group. Put to security, or smashing Suhlik heads, and he’d be right in his element. But here, among the sensitive equipment and theintricate city plans, he was a boulder among paper lanterns. He was well-intentioned, but Devin had little use for him.
“I need someone who can manage complex calculations on the spot,” Devin explained.
“Let him be. We need him here,” Kave said and shrugged. Despite his laid back attitude, the warlord was such a Mahdfel. Devin suspected he was probably one of the most adept and calculating warriors on the planet. He hatched plans of unmatched creativity knowing full well they could backfire spectacularly.
“To do what exactly?” Devin asked. There were only so many security runs he could send the warrior on.
“Because his mate is disruptive to the main camp. And Jane needs to keep an eye on her,” Kave said with a shrug.
Devin blinked at his warlord. Was he really being controlled by the little Terrans and their petty needs?
