Jack's Wage Slavery Pt. 01

"Minister of Earth Security Council, Mr. Steyn's office, how may I help you," a voice answered with a crisp professional tone.

"This is Hellna, the Altarian Security Minister, and I have Queen Elissa of Altaria on the line with me. We need to speak with Mr. Steyn immediately."

The caller identification system must have confirmed their location as the voice became just a little crisper. "I will connect you now."

Hellna and Elissa endured almost a minute of bland music before it was cut off and a deep voice rough with sleep answered. "Ruan Steyn here. How may I help you this morning?"

"Our Ambassador Jack Danner has been abducted at gunpoint in Las Vegas. Two of his security detail were killed, the other two injured. Mobilize your teams immediately. Begin with the Gemstone Casino where the abduction took place approximately forty five minutes ago." Hellna said firmly.

"Mr. Danner has been kidnapped again?" Steyn's voice almost sounded amused.

"Mr. Steyn, this is Queen Elissa. Please be aware than all trade with Earth will be suspended until our Ambassador is returned safe and sound. Does that clarify how seriously we are taking this assault?"

"Perfectly." The amusement was gone.

"I look forward to hearing your progress on this matter soon." Elissa said and Hellna disconnected.

"I don't understand. We gave no advance notice that Jack was visiting Earth yet a commando team was able to abduct him from this random location. Was there anything in the net regarding a contract on Jack?" Elissa growled.

"Nothing more than the typical hate mail from the occasional social malcontent. Nothing that suggested a team of professionals would be watching.

"Is there anything we can do from here?" Elissa asked Hellna.

"Just keep the pressure on," Hellna answered.

Chapter 6

Cold water splashed onto his face and Jack woke with a jolt then moaned from the pain of his knotted muscles.

He blinked and his mind slipped back to the last time he was woken this way. It hadn't been pleasant.

"Is he awake?" an older voice asked.

Something sharp jabbed Jack in the side and he cried out. He also realized he was naked. Another unpleasant surprise. Why did they strip him of his clothes? Ah, looking for trackers most likely.

"Mr. Danner do open your eyes so we may speak face to face."

Jack cracked his eyes open and he saw he was in a dark room. He couldn't see the edges of it but the room didn't sound big.

A single light from above cast weird shadows.

In front of him stood Maury Levine. A much, much older version of the man than Jack recalled. He didn't look well. His skin had a sick yellow tone.

"Good. I just wanted to meet you in person and let you know this isn't personal. I've watched you doing good things for Earth. I'm a fan but the bounty on you is just too extreme to pass up. I won't be around much longer and I need to ensure the ones I leave behind are taken care of. It's just business."

"And now you feel better?" Jack said, teeth chattering from the cold.

The smile slid from the man's face. "No, I don't feel better. I'm dying."

"That sucks but then so does being abducted." Jack said and Maury's frown deepened. He realized antagonizing the man who arranged his abduction probably wasn't a smart move. He sighed. "I'm sorry. That was rude. Have you spoken to a Chuuruthian doctor?"

"I don't like aliens. The only reason I can be in the room with you now is because I know you were once fully human. If I ignore the horns you could still be taken for human. Mostly." Maury said as a shudder went through his weakened frame.

Great, a xenophobe. That could be bad. "Business, you were saying. Who wanted me abducted? I haven't heard about anyone being particularly upset with me recently."

"That's the way they wanted it. Keep the snoops from sticking their nose in their business. Even I don't know who it is. I capture you. I bring you here. I get paid. Well, good luck!" He turned to leave.

"Could I ask you one more question?" Jack called out and Maury stopped. "How did you find me? We didn't announce my visit. It was a last minute decision. I didn't even know I was going to be in Vegas until we stepped through the gate."

Maury smiled. "Don't you understand the nature of Vegas? There are more cameras watching than people know. When a man in a hoodie arrives with black Altarian escorts who else would it be? You lit up the gambling boards the second you stepped onto the strip. Fortunes were made and lost betting on everything from the purpose of your trip, if you'd take off the hood, and whether or not you'd be able to leave unscathed."

"Just Lady Luck then." Jack said and Maury grinned.

"Yeah, ain't she a bitch. Much like my ex-wife." The man left with his security team. The door they exited in the dark closed with an odd metallic bang. Sheet metal?

Jack tried to relax. Maury wasn't planning on killing him at least. He wasn't sure if that last comment was a reference to the cabana event. He certainly wasn't going to ask and it didn't seem to matter now.

He looked around himself but all he could see was a grey concrete floor with the occasional smudge of grease. A garage? The chair he was chained to was bolted to the floor. No matter how hard he rocked it didn't budge. His bindings showed no loosening after his rocking. If anything they felt a little tighter.

He listened and heard nothing but silence. He was naked, wet, and cold. Worse, he was alone.

Shit.

Chapter 7

Gee and Bal were sitting in side by side cubicles in the Emergency wing of the hospital when Hellna burst into the department looking for her agents. Hellna took in the bandages and sighed with relief. She understood the injuries were minor but Gee and Bal were her best operatives and she wanted them on this case.

When they saw her the two agents got to their hooves but she waved them back down.

"Report. Has anything else surfaced from your memories of the attack," she asked them.

Both shook their heads with frowns.

The doctor joined them and released the agents to Hellna's care.

"Come with me," she said as she headed back out to her vehicle. Hellna took the bench with her back to the driver and the agents sat on the seat facing her as the driver got them underway.

"I'm sending you back to Earth. London Gate Terminus. You'll meet with the squad Earth's Security Council Force have put in charge of locating and extracting Jack. You will be special advisors to the team. They have global jurisdiction so local law enforcement will support their efforts. Or should." Gee and Bal nodded soberly.

She pointed to the seat the two agents were sitting on. "You will find everything you need to restock your supplies in the seat."

The agents knelt on the floor and flipped up the cushion. Inside was an arsenal. They swapped out the gossamer black gowns they were wearing with fresh ones from inside the compartment then quickly pocketed the items they needed. They noted the small handguns. Each picked one up and looked back at Hellna who nodded.

"Earth's Security Council only accepted your presence in an advisory capacity but the Queen has authorized you to carry these and expects you to use them at your discretion. She will support your actions but you know the drill." The guns disappeared into their gowns.

The vehicle landed outside the Gate building and they made their way inside. A brief word with the customs agent and they were walking towards a gate. They stopped just before the threshold.

"Your contact is Major Cha'Risa Ash. She'll pick you up on the other side."

Hellna looked into their eyes. She saw the grim determination there.

"Bring him home safe," she said. They nodded and stepped through.

The other side of the gate was a large chamber and the noise from the travellers moving to and fro put Gee and Bal immediately on edge. They scanned the room as they made their way towards the 'Government Officials' Customs desk. A tired looking man with disheveled hair looked at them.

"Name, Department, and reason for your visit."

The agents both touched the biometric reader. Gee spoke for them.

"Gee and Bal. Altarian Security. Here on Earth's Security Council business."

The man watched his screen and nodded. He looked back over his desk's wall and waved to someone.

Moments later Gee and Bal were looking up into the sharp hazel eyes of a tall, muscular woman. She was wearing black combat gear, an armored vest with many pockets over that. Weapons were attached to her hip, slung on her back and several knives were strapped to her legs.

What little skin was exposed was a deep rich brown showing her Native American heritage. She had high cheekbones and a strong nose. Her straight black hair was braided tightly and bound under her vest.

The woman sighed when she saw the light and airy gowns they were wearing. "I'm Major Ash. I understand you're my Altarian 'advisors'?" Her voice gave away her frustration for being forced to include them on her team. "We're potentially going into a firefight and you aren't wearing body armor-"

"Please do not worry about us. We will be fine." Gee said.

"I'm not going to be responsible-" the Major began again.

"You are not responsible for us. We are." Bal finished.

The tall woman stared at the two Altarians in frustration.

"Please, time is of the essence if we are to find the trail of the mercenary team who abducted Ambassador Danner," Gee insisted.

With a final scowl Ash spun on her heels and strode quickly across the floor towards another gate, Gee and Bal following immediately behind her.

A group of people in combat gear were waiting for the Major before the smooth mirror surface of the gate.

There were four other members in the team. Two almost identical looking men who were just a little shorter than the Major were inspecting their weapons one more time. Their greying hair was cut military short and their cold blue eyes assessed the approaching group quickly dismissing the Altarians as a threat. Standing next to them reading a small tablet was a lanky red haired woman wearing a minimal augmentation suit. This suit helped her carry and use the heavy, sniper rail gun currently folded up against the chassis of her suit on her back. Next to her was a shorter man whose skin rivaled the Altarian's fur for blackness. He had the assault weapons too but he was cradling a portable data terminal like a lover.

The group came to attention when the Major stopped before them. She introduced her team to the Altarians.

"This is Corporal Leo Orlov and Corporal Maxim Volkov, our assault and demolition specialists. Captain Nann Graf, our recon and suppression specialist. Finally Lieutenant Ray Sharif, our comm tech specialist. People this is..." she realized she'd forgotten to ask their names.

"Gee and Bal, Altarian Security Agents." Bal offered.

"Where is their body armor?" Maxim asked.

"We will be fine. We must begin as soon as we can. The trail is growing cold," Gee insisted.

"You heard the... lady. Let's go." Ash replied. Maxim and Leo just shared a look and stepped through the gate followed by Nann and Ray. Gee and Bal stepped through closely followed by the Major.

Then they were in the Las Vegas Gate Terminal once more. The Major addressed the team.

"Our target was taken from a rear access corridor behind the Gemstone Casino leading to the mall. A team of armed assailants used a flashbang to temporarily blind the target's security team and proceeded to kill two of the agents with shots from their assault weapons." She stared at Gee and Bal to see if they understood her concerns.

"That is not completely accurate." Gee began and the group turned to look at her. "The location and the use of the flashbang is correct but it should be noted that the assailants were ex-military, well trained, and well equipped. Their weapons were state of the art and well maintained. Our agents weren't killed from being shot by assault rifles but rather a grenade launcher. They had moved too far ahead of Ambassador Danner making the grenade launcher a more effective means to take them out."

"What's the source of that information?" the Major asked with a scowl.

Gee looked at her. "First hand. We were the two agents who survived the attack."

The group stared back at the Altarians with wide eyes.

Bal took up the story. "Ambassador Danner recognized the name of the casino and took immediate steps to exit the trap almost before it had been sprung. He protected Gee and I from the flash bang and pushed us out into the service corridor where we observed the group attempting to flank us. We opened fire on them but Ambassador Danner was rendered unconscious. When he was down we began to take fire from the team inside the corridor so we had to retreat. As the weapon used on the Ambassador was non-lethal we identified their purpose was to abduct him and our escaping to report would serve him better."

The Major was quickly reassessing the value of her 'advisors'. "Trackers?"

"Three active ones which all went offline thirty minutes after the abduction. In three different locations within Las Vegas. There is one more tracker which may still be viable. It's a sleeper. It has a range of around a mile and will activate when it detects an echo pulse."

"Damn. These are not amateurs. We need a larger team, Major." Nann commented.

"We have permission to call in local law enforcement and any military resources available in our locale." Ash responded. "First we have to establish a location. I assume we will be visiting the casino?"

Gee nodded. "We might have been directed there considering Jack's- Ambassador Danner's response." She avoided looking at the Major after her little slip. Nann traded looks with her boss.

They made their way outside of the Terminal building and Gee saw a woman outside the barricade waving at her. She recognized the woman as the clerk from the last store. She had Jack's shopping bags in her other hand.

"Major Ash, one moment please." Gee said and walked over to speak with the shop clerk who recognized Gee.

"OMIGOD! Did you find him?" Vicki gushed, her face wet with tears.

"We are hunting for him now. Rest assured we will find him," Gee said to assure the young woman.

"I- I haven't been able- they won't let me-" Vickie gestured at the shopping bags helplessly.

Gee took Vicki's hand to calm her. "Do you have the card I gave you?" The woman nodded. Gee gestured for one of the Gate Security Agents to come over to them.

"This woman has Altarian Embassy business inside. She is to be given the same courtesy any Altarian courier would be shown. Please escort her inside and guide her back out." The man looked like he was about to protest but Vicki held up the card and the words died on his lips. He held the barricade open for her to step through. Vicki smiled widely at Gee and walked into the building after the man. Gee walked back to the team.

"What was that about?" the Major asked.

"A courtesy returned," was all Gee would say but Bal nodded.

They wasted no further time in getting to the Casino entrance. They were met by a group of security personnel and some administrators.

"I'm Major Ash from Earth's Security Council Force. Who's in charge here?" she said showing her badge.

A slight man in a dark grey suit stepped forward. "I'm Walter Jensen, Senior Executive Administrator of Gemstone. How may we be of service?" He waved away the security team now that they knew who they were dealing with.

"Earlier this evening there was an abduction of the Altarian Ambassador in a back corridor of your establishment," the major began.

"Yes, the police came by to secure the service corridor and to do their investigation. Could we possibly continue this discussion in my office? It will make the customers more comfortable without all the hardware on display.

The Major nodded and they followed him through the front hall and past the lounge.

Bal suddenly stopped and gestured to Gee. The two turned and walked into the lounge. Ray followed then Nann. The Major stopped Walter and the rest followed the Altarians into the entrance way of the lounge.

Bal turned to face the team. "How frequently is this board updated?" On one wall of the lounge above the bar was an odds board. A huge display showing all of the pending events people could bet on. Jack's name was on the board in several places. The first one was pretty mundane. Place a bet for the purpose of his visit but further along there was a bet for his ability to leave, alive.

"When did this first entry go on the board?" Gee asked Walter.

"I don't know. Why?" he said, definitely looking uncomfortable.

"It sets a time line for when our presence in Las Vegas was noted. As the first set of odds are related to his purpose for visiting it had to be just after our arrival. This means we were made the moment we arrived. It doesn't explain why Ambassador Danner was abducted but based on the fact that we identified these ex-military mercenaries approximately forty minutes after our arrival it means someone received the notification of our arrival the moment we were identified. The personnel were likely already in place and our arrival was an opportunity to be taken."

The Major nodded with that analysis. She glanced and nodded at Ray then looked over to Walter. "Who updates the odds board?"

The man was beginning to sweat. "It's automated. It comes in on a feed from a central data collection center. These odds are in the Celebrity category so that comes from news stories and camera feeds. Facial recognition identifies people of interest who arrive and the odds are based on recent events they've been involved in. The 'What are they here for' is a low payout introductory bet."

"But if someone were to set an alert on the system to activate when a particular person arrived, like an Altarian Ambassador, that would lead us to a potential suspect, wouldn't it?" the Major asked the executive who had the deer in the headlights look.

"Got it Major. It was erased and the system was purged but the backup still had a reference." Ray commented looking at his terminal. "Uh, this originated from the Chief Executive's terminal, a Maury Levine."

"Mr. Jensen, we'll need to speak with Mr. Levine," the Major said.

"That's, uh, not going to be possible," Walter mumbled.

"Sure, it is. You tell us where he is and we go to him and ask him a few questions. Simple," she replied casually.

"He's not here and we don't know where he is." Jensen said with a wince.

"Hey, I found a reference to a 'Jack Danner' working for the Gemstone... a long time ago." Ray said with surprise in his voice.

"ARE YOU IN OUR HUMAN RESOURCES FILES?!?" Walter squeaked in outrage.

"We have the authority to take this place apart digitally. Every credit, every data packet, for as long as it takes to get answers to our investigation." Major Ash said coldly.

"Look, I told you I don't know where he is!" Walter barked.

"Who does?"

Jensen's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to come up with something he could say to protect himself AND his employer.

"Major, I've tapped into the security system and I have a recording of Maury Levine being escorted by several men who appear to be ex-military. He got into an Empress ground skimmer and left the building approximately fifteen minutes after the abduction." Ray said.

"An Empress? What's the range on that model?" Ash asked.

"Around 2000 kilometers."

"Cross country capable?"

"Yes Major. In comfort, stealthed, and armored." Ray said with just a little envy in his tone.

"Shit!"

"You can still track it." Gee said calmly. "The Empress uses four independent antigrav panels which present a very distinct energy output pattern.

Ray looked at the Altarian. "How do I track that?"