Gunning For Trouble (Aeon 14: Machete System Bounty Hunter Book 2) Read online

  GUNNING FOR TROUBLE

  MACHETE SYSTEM

  BOUNTY HUNTER – BOOK 2

  BY ZEN DIPIETRO & M. D. COOPER

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Marti Panikkar

  Manie Kilian

  James Dean

  David Wilson

  Steven Blevins

  Lisa Richman

  Scott Reid

  Copyright © 2018 Zen DiPietro & M. D. Cooper

  Aeon 14 is Copyright © 2018 M. D. Cooper

  Version 1.0.0

  Cover Art by Andrew Dobell

  Editing by Tee Ayer

  Aeon 14 & M. D. Cooper are registered trademarks of Michael Cooper

  All rights reserved

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PREVIOUSLY…

  FAVORITE THINGS

  HATCHET AND PIPE

  NO ACCIDENT

  DEEPER

  THE GAME

  CHECK UP

  THE TEST

  BOSS

  INTEL

  RESTLESS

  TANGLES AND TOUSLES

  RESEARCH

  COLLABORATION

  SOLUTIONS

  COMBINE

  AFTERMATH

  THE BOOKS OF AEON 14

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PREVIOUSLY…

  Reece lives in a system named Machete, deep in the Perseus Expansion Districts. The PED is a region of the Orion Freedom Alliance that can best be described as the East Germany of the galaxy.

  Here technology is limited, and people live a simpler life than is found in the Inner Stars or the Transcend—which is exactly how Praetor Kirkland of the Orion Freedom Alliance likes it.

  In Reece’s previous adventure she was sent on a hunt for a missing researcher along with a new—and largely unwanted—partner, Trey. Utilizing her network of contacts, Reece followed her prey out of the Machete System, and eventually returned him to her world of Akonwara.

  Through the course of the mission, she grew to like Trey, and now the pair of them work together for Rexcare, one of the Big Four corporations that run the Machete System.

  It’s been two weeks since her last mission, and Akonwara is still in the midst of a perihelion conjunction year, making the planet’s three month ‘day’ even hotter and more grueling than normal.

  What she’d really like to while away the time is a job from her employer, Rexcare.

  Well, ask or not, ye shall receive….

  FAVORITE THINGS

  DATE: 05.02.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Ohiyo, Akonwara

  REGION: Machete System, PED 4B, Orion Freedom Alliance

  “Rio, come out. I mean it. If you don’t come out of there right now, I’ll just let you starve.” Reece was once again crouched on the floor of her room, ass-end up, peering under her bed while her intolerant cat staged a hunger strike.

  “No, you won’t,” Aunt Ruth said, standing in the doorway.

  Reece sighed. “No. I won’t. But he doesn’t know that.”

  “Pretty sure he does, dear. I’ll get the fancy tuna. That always gets him out.” Aunt Ruth retreated down the stairs to the kitchen.

  “He shouldn’t need fancy tuna to convince him not to starve himself. He needs to stop hiding every time Trey brings Dex over here. They left hours ago.” Reece pretended she was talking for Rio’s benefit, rather than just talking to herself.

  Trey rarely left Dex behind, largely because the mouse monkey was such a social creature and tended to get depressed when left alone for too long.

  Actually, the other name for Dex’s breed seemed more appropriate these days—ghost monkey. He tended to pop up where Rio least expected him, causing the fat cat to turn into a ball of floof and retreat into any darkened corner he could find.

  “What kind of cat hides from a monkey half his size, anyway? You’re an embarrassment.”

  The unmistakable pop of a can from downstairs prompted Rio’s claws to begin scrabbling on the floor. He bolted past Reece and down the stairs for his bribe.

  She straightened so that her ass was below her head, which was the way she preferred her body to be positioned, whenever possible.

  Reece took her time dressing and brushing her long hair. Rexcare had given her a nice little vacation after her last job—which had been her first with Trey. For two weeks she’d had the luxury of sleeping in, visiting Marky’s betting lounge, and having drinks at the Ringtoad in the evenings. Trey had even started to get to know Kippy and some of the regulars at the bar.

  All of that would come to a screeching halt as soon as Rexcare had another job for her. This vacation hadn’t been intentional. It was just one of the lulls in her schedule that occurred naturally.

  Not that she was complaining.

  By the time she made it to the kitchen, Aunt Ruth was washing Rio’s tuna plate and the fluffball himself reclined in the window-seat of the living room, giving himself a thorough bath.

  “What’s on your agenda today?” Aunt Ruth set the dish in the drainer.

  No matter how many times Reece suggested Aunt Ruth use the autowash for the dishes, her aunt washed them by hand. Reece had long since given up on arguing.

  “After breakfast, I’m going to hit the range for some target practice. Then I’ll crash the gym for a good workout.”

  Aunt Ruth paused, hands on hips. “How I raised such a violent girl, I’ll never know. Even just visiting places has to be ‘hitting’ and ‘crashing’.”

  Reece grinned. “Fighting’s in my blood. I realized a long time ago that there was no point in resisting it. That’s why I work for Rexcare. Might as well get paid to do what I do best, right?”

  “If you say so. I don’t know why you couldn’t have become an accountant, or something safer.”

  “I’d die of boredom. Besides, you like knowing that I can keep you safe. Or kick the ass of anyone who cheats or otherwise annoys you.”

  Aunt Ruth nodded reluctantly. “That’s true. I was just telling Bonnie at the fish market the other day that if she tried to put a finger on the scale when weighing, I’d have you come kick her ass.”

  Reece laughed. “See? You like violence just fine when it suits your purpose. Everyone does. They just don’t want to admit it.”

  “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,” Aunt Ruth allowed. “Do you want me to fix you some breakfast?”

  “That’s okay. I’ll just get a nutrition bar and some supplements. I like high protein on workout days.”

  Aunt Ruth smoothed her hands over her apron. Reece loved that she wore an apron in the kitchen. It was so delightfully old-fashioned, like she was from some 2D vid. “Yes, I know. At least let me scramble you some egg whites. Real food is better than that processed stuff.”

  “Not according to science. Rexcare can extract the perfect blend of nutrients, recombine them into bioavailable synchronicity, and optimize a person’s diet.”

  “Fah. I’ve never believed it’s possible to improve on nature. People were made to eat food.” Aunt Ruth wore an expression of distaste.

  “Some eggs would be great, thanks.” It was easier for Reece to let her aunt make eggs than it was to have this argument again. Besides, Aunt Ruth made delicious eggs.

  Aunt Ruth brightened. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  While Reece retrieved her bags to take to the target range and the gym, Aunt Ruth called, “Is Trey going with you?”

  Reece gritted her teeth, knowing what was coming. “Trey doesn’t need target practice. His optics have been optimized to work with his motor n
eurons. He doesn’t even have to try to be better than a lifetime of training makes me. He just is.”

  Aunt Ruth joined Reece at the door. “Don’t be bitter, dear. He does the best with what he has, just as you do. He may not need the physical practice, but he could use some friends. Introduce him around. You know how hard it’s been for him to make friends here.”

  Reece let out a slow breath. “You’re right. He doesn’t like wearing the cosmetic lenses that disguise his eyes. He feels like it’s lying, and that the lie is bound to come out eventually, and that it would be worse for him to get caught hiding his mods. So he has to rely on winning people over in spite of the fact that he represents everything people in the Perseus Districts have rejected. It isn’t easy.”

  “You can lead by example.” Aunt Ruth had taken an instant liking to Trey, for whatever reason.

  “I guess. I didn’t exactly jump at being his friend, either. In fact, I ditched him and called him a horrible name that I’m too embarrassed to even repeat.” She hadn’t known at the time why the word was offensive, but Trey had informed her. And he’d done so a lot more kindly than she would have, if she’d been him.

  “As I said, leading by example.” Aunt Ruth nodded encouragingly.

  Reece kissed her on the cheek. “Trey’s lucky to have you on his side. You’re tougher than any of us, in your own way.”

  “Thank you, dear. I like to think that you got your good qualities from me.”

  “And the bad ones?” Reece asked.

  “Oh, those are all from your mother.” Aunt Ruth grinned wickedly.

  Reece laughed as she walked out into the brutal heat of the day.

  * * * * *

  “I’m not joking. We don’t want your kind here.”

  Reece closed her eyes for a moment, not looking forward to what had to come next. She and Trey had come to the target range for some practice—that was all. They sure hadn’t come for a fight. Nonetheless, the guy who’d been eyeing them as they’d checked in turned up again when they went out of the main building to the shooting runs.

  Trey insisted—as he always did—on dealing with the asshole himself. He believed that if he was going to live on Akonwara long term, he’d have to win people over, one at a time. He’d talk to them, make jokes, convince them that he was not so unlike them.

  Sometimes it worked, as it had with Reece.

  Other times, it didn’t.

  “I’m here because I don’t think people should be more machine than they are human,” Trey explained calmly, carefully maintaining a nonthreatening posture. “I agree with you about that.”

  “Why not get all your hardware removed, then?” the angry man said, his voice rising. He took a step closer. His face had darkened, and his brow had creased. His body vibrated with barely contained rage.

  “I’ve had some of my augments from infancy. They can’t be removed without leaving me incapacitated, and what’s the point of becoming someone’s burden? And my biological eyes are long gone. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m just trying to live as natural a life as I can from this point on.”

  “How do I know you’re not possessed by an AI?”

  Trey held his hands up at face level, his palms out and his fingers splayed, showing he wasn’t aggressive. “You can’t, any more than I can tell that you don’t have one. But I don’t.”

  “That’s not good enough.” The man stepped forward again.

  Reece noticed his change in posture. He intended to start a fight. It was stupid, because even without any augmentation, Trey was bigger, broader, and more ruggedly built. But a fight would still hurt Trey more, because it would give him a history of violence against Akonwaran citizens.

  Reece couldn’t let that happen.

  She stepped in front of Trey, making herself a barrier between him and the asshole. “Trey’s not the problem here. You are.”

  Asshole stared her up and down. “You look like you’re from around here. Why are you hanging out with a meat machine?”

  Reece kept a firm hold on the anger that sparked within her. “He’s my partner. You’d be better off making friends with him than trying to fight him. He plays a wicked game of eight-card rummy.”

  “Why would you partner up with someone like that unless you’re like him?” Asshole sneered at her.

  “I guess I’m like him in other ways that matter, though not in terms of augments. But he was assigned to me.” She ran her hands down the front of her jacket—the red and black one that was too hot to wear during a perihelion conjunction hot season but looked so darn cool—and nudged the coat away from her hips so Asshole could see her Rikulf Specials resting comfortably in their thigh holsters.

  Finally, the man backed off slightly. “You’re corporate?”

  “As corporate as it gets,” she confirmed. “Corporate muscle, in fact. And so’s he.”

  Asshole cursed a stream of filth so toxic that Reece was now certain that they’d never become friends.

  “If you weren’t corporate, I’d kick both your asses,” the guy said, his chin jutting out.

  “Oh, let’s not let that get in the way.” Reece removed the holsters and handed them to Trey, whose eyebrows rose in question.

  she said to him, subvocally.

  Trey rolled his shoulders in the slightest of shrugs.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” Reece said.

  Asshole eyed her warily. She considered for a moment asking his name, but nah. She didn’t care, and Asshole worked just fine.

  “You and me, hand to hand, no weapons,” Reece suggested. “If you win, I’ll give you five hundred credits.”

  “And if you win?” he asked. “Not like you would.”

  “Then all you have to do is think about the fact that it was another Akonwaran who kicked your ass, while this augmented guy did nothing but try to avoid a confrontation. That’s it. Just think about that.”

  Trey sent her a message.

  She smirked.

  Asshole looked suspicious. “Escrow the money, then.”

  Within moments, Reece had done so. “Done. Give me your account and you can verify.”

  “That was quick.”

  “I’ve had practice.”

  He recited the account number and she inserted it. “Done.”

  Since he didn’t have the high-end version of the Link that allowed her to connect via her overlays, he used a hand unit to verify.

  Trey sent her another message.

  She squinted at him.

  “Right. So, let’s do this.” Asshole’s voice got deeper, like he was suddenly trying to sound tougher to intimidate her.

  Kind of like when Rio puffed out all of his fur whenever Dex appeared.

  Reece tried not to laugh at the mental image.

  “You start. I’ll join in,” she suggested.

  He raised his fists but hesitated. “I’m not used to fighting women.”

  “That’s okay,” she reassured him. “I’m wildly experienced at fighting assholes. I’ll help you along.”

  She darted in and gave him a light jab in the chest.

  Yeah, that worked. He lunged forward and leveled a punch at her cheekbone. She ducked under it, caught his arm with her opposite hand, then yanked him forward, and off-balance.

  Instead of capitalizing on his lack of balance, she backed off a pace, giving him time to recover.

  He came at her again, this time trying to wrap his arms around her to pin them to her sides.

  She grabbed his arm, lifting it above her head, sank her hip into his side, and threw him.

  He scrambled to his feet, turning to face her again.

  “We could stop now,” she offered.

  He rushed in,
swinging a right at her chin and jabbing a left at her chest.

  She waited until his left arm crossed over his right, then grabbed both of his wrists, crossing his arms at the elbows. She held his wrists in one hand, pinning them under the same arm for leverage, and with her other hand, sank her thumb and fingers into a fleshy pressure point that dropped him to his knees.

  “We’re done here, right?” she waited for his nod to release him, then step away. “Trey’s a good guy,” she told Asshole as he stood, looking disgruntled. “As good as any you’ll find here. Yeah, he’s got some abilities we don’t. But we have things he doesn’t have, too. We got to grow up not being forced to have perfectly good body parts removed. He didn’t get to be born here, but he got here as soon as he could. Just think about that, okay?”

  Trey told her.

  She glared at him.

  He smiled.

  “Is this what you had in mind when you said I should get out and make friends?” he asked before they slipped into individual shooting practice runs.

  “No. And it was Aunt Ruth’s idea.”

  Trey winked at her before ducking into his run.

  Left on her own, Reece chuckled.

  * * * * *

  “I can’t beat you at targeting. I can’t beat you at working out. But I bet I can beat you at some eight-card rummy.” Reece said as they exited the cab outside of Debtor’s Haven

  She hadn’t been there in four days, and wanted to say hello to Marky and pass a couple hours of fun. After working out, she was ready for some recreation.

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Trey said, handing her their bags before following her out. “I cleaned up last time.”

  “Yeah, you hustled them. You won’t be able to do that this time. Marky’s onto you.”

  “Some tricks only work once,” he said wistfully.

  “You’ve never said anything so accurate.” She said as they pushed open the door and saw Marky, who was walking toward them.