Time Salvager (Time Salvager #1)(42)

James took out the bottle of whiskey he had purchased at the Heights and took a swig, spilling half of it over his collar. Well, he still smelled like sewer, so it might actually have been an improvement. No sooner had he landed and taken two steps out of the collie than all four monitors closed in around him. At least they had the decency not to aim their wrists at him. The fact that he wasn’t arrested on the spot was a good sign.

Levin, waiting at the bottom of the ramp with Smitt, somehow looked grim and pleased at the same time. No doubt he was reveling in whatever punishment he was about to dole out to James. The man was finally getting his revenge for that busted jaw. The fool must not know about the agreement with Valta. ChronoCom wouldn’t dare rescind a payout from an outside party for a promised contract. If word ever got out that ChronoCom had done such a thing, the chronmen tier would be in chaos. No, as long as they didn’t know about Elise, he was safe.

James walked up to Smitt and Levin, and jammed a thumb at one of the monitors. “Is this really necessary?”

“You went off mission, Chronman,” Levin said, “and went dark on your handler.”

James shrugged with forced casualness. “Comm band ran out of levels. It was a rough mission. Had to process a few things in my head. I got the job done; went to go celebrate. So what?” He wiggled the bottle in front of them. “Want some?”

Levin’s face reddened. “You were drinking on a job during a Tier-1 salvage?”

James held his hands up. “Relax. Calm down before you piss yourself. I didn’t start drinking until after the job was done.” He took another swig.

Levin didn’t see the humor in the situation. “Monitors, take his bands.”

James lifted his arms toward the guards as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Go ahead. They’re dry anyway.” He began to hum.

Levin scowled. “Take him to interrogation. I’ll debrief him personally.” He turned and stormed off.

James continued to hum and winked at the monitors playfully.

Smitt’s face bunched up in a scowl. “You seem to be in a cheery mood for once. I don’t like happy you. It feels unnatural. Does your netherstore have all the goods?”

James nodded. He watched as Smitt retrieved the netherstore container from within the collie and handed it off to a tech. The tech checked the content fields against the schematics, probably provided by Valta, and then nodded.

Good riddance, James thought. The instant ChronoCom took control of those items, James’s contract with Valta was fulfilled. All he had to do now was survive a little longer and he would soon be free of this nightmare. He could hide Elise for a few months until he finished his ChronoCom contract. Then, with the funds he had saved, he could buy Elise a new identity and they could live out the rest of their days in peace and luxury. James shook his head. How could he think that? He hardly knew her!

He and Smitt walked toward the interrogation room with the four monitors in tow. James could tell Smitt was struggling to suppress his anxiety. His friend wasn’t exactly fast on his feet; that was why he had never made tier at the Academy. Still, for him to be this on edge made James uneasy. They were almost at the interrogation room when James decided to probe his handler and see just how bad the situation was.

“What’s wrong, man?” he asked Smitt. “I just celebrated a little. Why is everyone so uptight?”

Smitt hesitated. “Monitors detected two signatures during your jump. They think…” He was so concerned he couldn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

James’s heart sank. If they were able to determine the jump signatures, then he was in trouble. He formulated a new plan. James gazed at his bare wrists. He might even have to fight his way out, though there were some things he needed to retrieve first—a fresh set of bands being foremost. Then, if he somehow escaped, he would need gear to stay alive out in Earth’s harsh wastelands. There was no better place to find all these items than here at Central.

James needed time to think. He stopped. “We need to make a quick change of plans.”

Smitt looked confused. “Our orders are to go directly to I-Three.”

James stepped close to his friend. “I don’t know about you, but I think it will do us all a lot of good if I took a shower first. Especially if we’re cozying up in an interrogation room for a few hours.” He leaned further forward.

Smitt must have finally smelled the bilge on James. He pulled back and scowled. “Shit, man, did you swim in the ocean? Fine, go take a bath first, but hurry.”

“Our orders were to escort him directly to I-Three, Handler,” one of the monitors said.

James gave the monitor a knowing look. “Come now, I just need ten minutes.”

Smitt waved them toward James’s quarters. “You guys aren’t going to be trapped in a room with him for abyss knows how long. You guys can stand guard outside. I’ll stay with him in his room.”

After a few moments of hesitation, the monitors agreed and led James to his room. He could hear them chatting about a Lok Gull game right outside his quarters. James hopped in the shower and took his time, humming and chatting with Smitt about starting their new life on Europa while he searched for anything useful in his quarters. Smitt’s enthusiasm was a bit more stilted.

“It’s probably a blip, right?” James said.