Masterminds by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

lights intensified. A sign in a dozen languages appeared across his right eye, telling him to stretch out his arms and his legs. So, even though the decontamination unit was designed to seem non-invasive, whoever decided that it needed to be moved to this part of the port had added instructions to make the unit seem invasive.
    If this were a different day, he would mention that to Murray. But Flint was pushing his connection to Murray. Murray had done Flint a lot of favors since Flint left Space Traffic. Most of them had occurred when Flint was a detective, but still. Murray let Flint bend more rules than Flint wanted to contemplate.
    Murray had complained about this one, however.
    You realize that you could be letting in yet another terrorist , Murray had sent when Flint contacted him.
    I do , Flint had replied. Lock this guy down until I get there . And be ready. He said someone was after him.
    We’ll monitor anyone on his tail , Murray sent.
    Clearly, Murray was following instructions to lock the man down. Flint had warned him that the ship might be contaminated and would need to go to quarantine. And when the ship was still about ten minutes out, Murray had contacted Flint to complain that the ship had no registration and no computerized identification. When Space Traffic had tried to contact the pilot, an automated response answered, broadcasting that the pilot was in distress.
    Murray hadn’t liked that.
    Flint didn’t either. If the port had been one of those places that wasn’t cautious, a “sick” pilot could cause a lot of port employees their health or their lives.
    Flint stepped outside of the decontamination unit into a large open area with high ceilings. Once upon a time, this had been the entry, without all the security. Now it was the place where the people who had gone through the different entrances mingled as they headed toward the terminals.
    …’s fine. Word is that the passenger isn’t. You there, Miles? Murray had clearly been trying to communicate with Flint while Flint was in decon.
    I’m going through your lovely damn security , Flint sent.
    Hustle your ass to Terminal Five. I’m getting word that your boy is injured, maybe dying.
    What? Flint sent. He hadn’t expected that. I thought you said he was fine.
    I said the ship was fine. Nothing on it except one passenger. Lots of laser weapon scarring. And he’s been shot up real bad. They’re taking him to the Medical Unit. I’m told you gotta hurry if you want to see him alive.
    Flint cursed, then took off at a run. It was hard to maintain any kind of speed. The crowd was thick, and getting thicker. Some people were hurrying, but most were meandering.
    Human security officers stood every few meters or so, watching him run as if he were fleeing arrest. Within seconds, he had bots keeping pace with him, obviously monitoring him.
    I caught the attention of Port Security , Flint sent. Call them off .
    Some kind of wheeze made it through the links. Clearly, Murray had set the communication to audio for that single sound. Because then he sent, Like Space Traffic has control of those amateurs .
    Well, it’ll do us no good if one of those amateurs kills me , Flint sent.
    Nothing I can do , Murray sent. Try not to look suspicious .
    While running, Flint sent. He wished he still had his police badge. He should have thought this through and asked DeRicci to give him some kind of identification.
    But he hadn’t been thinking, just reacting. He hurried, rounding corner after corner, weaving in and out of the throng as he ran to the arrivals area.
    There, his passage got easier. Almost everyone was human. Flint had never seen anything like it. Usually there were so many different species the place looked like one of those unity vids the kids watched their first week in school. But this wasn’t unity. This was like traveling to some of the ancient cities of Earth, where aliens weren’t welcome.
    The shock of the change almost made Flint slow