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yolandekleinnThievery
By Yolande Kleinn
"I forgot what it's like here. The noise, the people, the ridiculously low ceilings... Was it always this crowded?" Gareth asked without looking at Lee, too busy gaping around him at the rush-hour chaos of crowds both human and not. The station's companion hub on the planet's surface wasn't nearly this claustrophobic, but space was valuable in orbit. Magre Station used every possible trick and then some in its design, and the result was a genius arrangement of uncomfortably tight corridors and quarters.
"I can't believe you agreed to meet me." Lee grinned as he placed a hand at Gareth's elbow and guided him through the prodding and shifting crowd.
There was a service corridor not far from the main concourse, and Lee was hopeful his codes still worked.
"How long's it been since you last left Regula, anyway?" Lee asked as he steered Gareth around a sauropede carrying entirely too much luggage in her wake.
Gareth finally tore his eyes from his surroundings to throw Lee a sideways glance. "Three years?" he said, though the words rose like a question. "Four maybe? Fuck, I don't know."
Lee snorted. "Too long." Anything else he might have wanted to say vanished beneath more immediate concerns, as they rounded a corner that ran abruptly up against a dull metal door. Lee reached cautiously for the panel beside the heavy frame, more curious than concerned. If his codes were no longer current, he was about to summon a whole lot of security down on their asses. And if that happened, he hoped Gareth still remembered how to play the perplexed tourist, a farce that had gotten them out of a hundred scrapes in their long acquaintance.
Lee tapped the appropriate sequence into the dimly lit panel, and breathed silent relief when a blue access light lit and the door's locking mechanism audibly released.
"I'll be damned," Gareth muttered, following him through the door and watching Lee seal it once more behind them. "You got new friends in this neighborhood?"
"Nope." Lee shrugged. "Just old friends who saw fit to leave their favors standing." He didn't mention that he hadn't been entirely confident of success. And maybe Gareth had been out of the game too long, because he didn't look the least bit suspicious of Lee's omission.
The corridor—so narrow they could barely stand side-by-side—was empty, and Gareth asked, "So? Now that we're alone, you gonna tell me why I had to meet you here when my place has a decent bar, a pool and natural gravity?"
Lee laughed, startled to mirth, but fell somber as he met Gareth's steady eyes. He kept his own voice low, his tone even, as he asked, "When's the last time you robbed a bank?"
Gareth stared at him for a long moment. Lee stared straight back, one eyebrow quirking high.
After an eternity, Gareth grinned a warm, slow grin. Lee was surprised—though pleased—when Gareth grabbed him by the shirtfront and tugged him into a hard, fast kiss. When Gareth drew back he was still grinning.
"You ambitious bastard," Gareth murmured with obvious approval. "I knew all that talk about retirement was a bluff." He let go of Lee's shirt, smoothed the fabric with his palms, and cocked his head to one side. "So. Who's the target?"
Lee only grinned in return, then turned to lead the way deeper into the station.
By Yolande Kleinn
"I forgot what it's like here. The noise, the people, the ridiculously low ceilings... Was it always this crowded?" Gareth asked without looking at Lee, too busy gaping around him at the rush-hour chaos of crowds both human and not. The station's companion hub on the planet's surface wasn't nearly this claustrophobic, but space was valuable in orbit. Magre Station used every possible trick and then some in its design, and the result was a genius arrangement of uncomfortably tight corridors and quarters.
"I can't believe you agreed to meet me." Lee grinned as he placed a hand at Gareth's elbow and guided him through the prodding and shifting crowd.
There was a service corridor not far from the main concourse, and Lee was hopeful his codes still worked.
"How long's it been since you last left Regula, anyway?" Lee asked as he steered Gareth around a sauropede carrying entirely too much luggage in her wake.
Gareth finally tore his eyes from his surroundings to throw Lee a sideways glance. "Three years?" he said, though the words rose like a question. "Four maybe? Fuck, I don't know."
Lee snorted. "Too long." Anything else he might have wanted to say vanished beneath more immediate concerns, as they rounded a corner that ran abruptly up against a dull metal door. Lee reached cautiously for the panel beside the heavy frame, more curious than concerned. If his codes were no longer current, he was about to summon a whole lot of security down on their asses. And if that happened, he hoped Gareth still remembered how to play the perplexed tourist, a farce that had gotten them out of a hundred scrapes in their long acquaintance.
Lee tapped the appropriate sequence into the dimly lit panel, and breathed silent relief when a blue access light lit and the door's locking mechanism audibly released.
"I'll be damned," Gareth muttered, following him through the door and watching Lee seal it once more behind them. "You got new friends in this neighborhood?"
"Nope." Lee shrugged. "Just old friends who saw fit to leave their favors standing." He didn't mention that he hadn't been entirely confident of success. And maybe Gareth had been out of the game too long, because he didn't look the least bit suspicious of Lee's omission.
The corridor—so narrow they could barely stand side-by-side—was empty, and Gareth asked, "So? Now that we're alone, you gonna tell me why I had to meet you here when my place has a decent bar, a pool and natural gravity?"
Lee laughed, startled to mirth, but fell somber as he met Gareth's steady eyes. He kept his own voice low, his tone even, as he asked, "When's the last time you robbed a bank?"
Gareth stared at him for a long moment. Lee stared straight back, one eyebrow quirking high.
After an eternity, Gareth grinned a warm, slow grin. Lee was surprised—though pleased—when Gareth grabbed him by the shirtfront and tugged him into a hard, fast kiss. When Gareth drew back he was still grinning.
"You ambitious bastard," Gareth murmured with obvious approval. "I knew all that talk about retirement was a bluff." He let go of Lee's shirt, smoothed the fabric with his palms, and cocked his head to one side. "So. Who's the target?"
Lee only grinned in return, then turned to lead the way deeper into the station.
