HAWK

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NEST (4/7)

The captain seemed to think hard about responding but apparently decided the wiser action was to just walk away before Swanne could patronise him any further. He was soon seen shrinking into the distance, leaving Kas trapped between the governor and the two masked soldiers.

Swanne's eyes immediately returned to Kas, shimmering a brilliant, unnatural green. She stepped almost seductively down the ramp until she was close enough to Kas to grab her by her throat. Up close, Kas saw that her skin was extremely smooth, almost synthetic, and realised that although Swanne looked somewhere in the region of forty, she was probably much, much older.

'Your name is Kas Balera, correct?'

'Correct.'

'You trained in the Lysan Academy for three years.'

Kas tried to cover her surprise, but she wasn't fast enough.

Swanne smiled. 'I used to be the Commandment there.'

The question of why Swanne looked familiar suddenly made sense. Kas had never met Governor Swanne, but she now recalled seeing pictures of her during her time in training.

'Not when I was there,' Kas replied.

'No. Otherwise, I imagine we would have remembered one another.'

'So how do you know I was there?'

'I have access to a great deal of information here, Miss Balera. A great deal.' The governor's green eyes started to glow as they began darting from side-to-side. Kas realised they were bionically enhanced. The governor was reading, pulling knowledge out of the air just like the money handler had done back in the Artisseum. 'Your assessment scores were high... very high... but you did not graduate. Why not?'

'The academy didn't suit me; I didn't suit the academy.'

'And it took you three years to realise?'

'Didn't take me three days. But I got what I wanted.'

'And what was that?'

'A free education and federal combat training.'

The governor looked back at Kas and the green glow in her eyes faded. 'So you're a federally trained bounty hunter. Congratulations. And how do you like it, the life of a glory seeker?'

Kas chewed on the question for a moment and didn't like the taste. She decided to try one of her own. 'So what is this place? Nobody has been kind enough yet as to tell me where I am.'

'As they shouldn't. But I don't see the harm in telling you now since you're already here. Welcome to Eidol, Miss Balera.'

'Eidol? Never heard of it.'

'I would be concerned if you had. We are a private facility. We don't like to advertise our whereabouts.'

'Why not? You got something illegal going on here?'

Swanne grinned. 'Hardly. Eidol is fully sanctioned by the Federation.'

'Oh yeah? Sanctioned for wha--'

Kas stopped herself short when her gaze was drawn to a gleaming shape moving in the marble's doorway. One of the bio-mech panthers had arrived at the top of the ramp and was looking back at her with an impenetrable stare that quickened her pulse. Unlike the other panthers which had been black, this one was entirely silver. And it was big, almost twice the size of the other three she'd seen. Swanne saw Kas's anxiety and smiled.

'Her name's Kymeira. Beautiful, isn't she?'

'Not sure that's the word I'd use.'

'You're not a fan of bio-mechs.'

Kas forced herself to look away from the beast and back at Swanne. 'You could say that.'

'Then I'm afraid you won't like it here very much. A major part of our facility is dedicated to creating bio-mechs. We have over five-hundred panthers on patrol around Eidol.'

Kas's mouth dried up instantly. 'And what are they patrolling, exactly?'

The question seemed to please Swanne who had a knowing smile on her lips. Instead of answering, she looked over Kas's shoulder and addressed the soldiers.

'You two, stay here.' She turned back to Kas. 'You, come with me.' Without waiting for a response, Swanne turned and walked back up the ramp as elegantly as she'd descended. The silver panther stepped aside and followed at her heels until they'd both disappeared into the brightly lit marble.

Kas looked at the open doorway and wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk back the way she'd come, but a nudge from one of the soldiers encouraged her towards the ramp. With hesitant feet, she consented.