The bearded men held their phasers aimed at them, their faces expressionless.

“You!” cried out Kaine. “You were the ones who grabbed me on Evenodds.”

The two said nothing.

“Well, what is this, the cat caught your tongue?”

More footsteps approached and an obese man appeared in the doorframe.

Kaine pointed.

“That’s him! That’s the man who hired me to get the cube.”

“Steal is the word you’re looking for,” said the newcomer, who was sweating profusely. He turned his head toward the hall and shouted. “We’ve got them, boss!”

Kaine and Val exchanged a startled look.

The color had drained from Rice’s face, while Ondine was glued to his legs, staring at the three new men with apprehension.

A fourth appeared at the door. This one was tall, with short dark hair and a haughty smirk on his lips.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” He glanced at the obese man. “Look like you were right, Bledin, they’ve run right into the lion’s mouth. How amusing. And very convenient, I have to say.”

“Who the hell are you?” asked Val.

The man glanced at her.

“Only an offworlder would ask such a question. All this...” He gestured to everything that surrounded them. “It all belongs to me. I am Tholin. And you are trespassing on my property.”

Kaine took a step forward, and both phasers instantly aimed at him.

“We’d be happy to leave—”

“Not with that, you won’t.” Tholin pointed at the girl. “It belongs to me.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“No, she doesn’t!” said Rice. “She doesn’t belong to anyone. She’s a human being.”

“Sure. That’s why you called her an organism. Be that as it may, you forget that you and your friends worked here only because I allowed it. I gave you shelter when the Imperium—”

“That was decades ago! None of us were even alive at the time.”

“—would have jailed you or killed you.”

“You killed us just the same,” said Rice bitterly.

The man shrugged. “Accidents happen.”

“Those were no accidents! You slaughtered us. Just because we were behind in our payments.”

Tholin smiled. “Six months behind is a bit much, don’t you think? I’d argue that I was extremely patient. My father would have slit your throats after the first incident. You should be grateful I am so generous. In fact, I feel generous again. You are all free to go, provided you do not attempt to take my belongings with you.” Again, he pointed at the girl.

“Never!” cried out Rice. “You are a monster! Ondine is not a weapon. She—”

“I am tired of hearing your voice.”

He made a small gesture with his hand, and one of the bearded men shot his phaser.

The scientist was hit square in the chest and flew back against the wall.

Ondine cried and ran to him. Val crouched by their side to examine the scientist.

Kaine was tempted to rush the shooter, but there were too many of them.

He glared at Bledin.

“So it all was a setup?”

The obese man shrugged. “We knew Rice had fled to Rimzana, but there were too many Impies there for my comfort. So I thought it best to hire someone like you to do the dirty job. Too bad you didn’t keep your end of the bargain, you’d be rich by now.”

“Or more likely dead.”

Tholin smirked. “That can still be arranged if you do not comply. So, what shall it be? Freedom or death?”

“Why do you want the girl so much?”

“You don’t know, do you?” He laughed. “It’s a beautiful thing, really. They created monsters. Mutants. Creatures that can do extraordinary things. To think I never knew! It’s a shame I only found out after we’d killed Eggert and destroyed the other prototypes. Well, at least that one was preserved. It should be enough to give me an edge. With that thing under my control, my reach could spread through the Imperium. All crime lords would have to bow to me. I’d be the master of them all. Imagine that.”

“You’re mad!”

Tholin shrugged. “It matters little whether I am or not. All that matters is the result. Now, would you—”

A piercing shriek rang through the room.

Kaine glanced back and saw Ondine looking straight at Tholin. Her eyes had turned black and her mouth was wide open. She extended her arms and a blue glow engulfed them. It shimmered, swirled, and rushed toward the crooks.

It all went so fast, he barely had time to realize it was water. But the flow was so potent it was almost solid. It hit the shooter in the chest and sent him flying back into the hall behind.

Without thinking, Kaine jumped on the remaining beard. He managed to pull the phaser out of the man’s hand and used it to shoot the guy.

When he turned, he saw Bledin had pulled out a phaser of his own.

The echion beam hit him.

He fell to the floor and everything went black.