by Jan Domagala
“How is that possible? I thought it was set up so each member of the unit knew where the others were for logistic reasons?”
“Not sure how I’m doing it, I just know that I’m shielding my presence from the others. Don’t knock it; if it works it can only be good for us.”
“That means you have much greater control over your NI than they realise, you must be able to access parts of your brain that were never deemed possible before,” she observed.
“You could be right; it’s a fact that we only use ten per cent of our brain’s capacity so perhaps with the enhancements I can now reach some of that hidden potential. Anyway that debate can wait until we’re outta here. Let’s concentrate on getting to the spaceport and off this planet. Once we’ve done that we still have to navigate our way through Alliance space.”
“Yep; we’ve got to get to the border so Col Sec can come and get us,” she said, which brought a surprised look from him.
“Are you serious? You know the rules; if we get captured we are forgotten. There will be no rescue attempt. They’ll be changing all the security protocols we know in case they sweat them out of us. If they even thought about coming after us where would they start to look? We’re deep in enemy space and any encroachment would cause an interstellar incident that would lead to all out war. Col Sec is not about to put all those lives on the line for two Marines. We know the score, you and me; we are on our own. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s up to us.”
Hardy was taken aback slightly, she had thought about what he’d said, knew the truth of it but had kept some hope alive that if they managed to escape from the base, that there was a chance they could be rescued. It was that glimmer of hope that had kept her going. Now though, that hope had been shattered by his harsh words, words that crushed every last vestige of hope remaining in her and she visibly collapsed from the inside.
Stryder saw it and reached for her placing a hand on her shoulder softly saying, “We’re not dead yet though, I didn’t say we won’t get out of this, I just said we can’t rely on Col Sec to come for us.”
With tears brimming in her eyes she choked back the panic and fear and said “But what can we do?”
“We get the hell off this planet and then find our way home, or at the very least back to Confederation space, the rest will take care of itself.”
She nodded her head slowly as the panic receded, warded off by his confident words.
“Okay,” she said gathering herself again, summoning up reserves of courage even she didn’t know she had. Once more, standing tall and proud, she was ready to continue the fight.
“Right, let’s go,” he said leading her on.
22
“What the hell is going on?” shouted General Solon as he heard the alarm’s shrill signal echo throughout the base. Accessing the comm channel through his NI he contacted the Security station. “Report,” he said simply.
“We’re investigating the cause as we speak, sir. Something has happened at the main lab, all personnel have been ordered there,” replied the officer in command.
“Who issued the order?” Solon wanted to know.
The silence told him more than words ever could.
“We’re investigating that also, sir. As yet I can find no officer who issued that order, I don’t understand it,” came the reply.
“I think I know,” Solon said.
“Who sir?” asked the officer.
“Never mind that now, just get a team of your best men over to Stryder’s cell and secure it immediately, is that clear?” Solon ordered curtly. The tone of his voice told the officer not to argue or question, simply to comply.
“Yes, sir, immediately,” he replied as the call was disconnected.
“Damn!” Solon said angrily as he slammed his fist down onto his desk. He grabbed his jacket and left the office, he’d take charge of this personally but first he had to see what the commotion was down at the main lab. In the pit of his stomach he knew what had happened but he just needed to confirm it, then put in place actions to rectify it.
The lab would be the place to start.
He strode out of his office and what he saw sent a chill through him. There were soldiers milling around in disorder, rushing here and there seemingly following orders but from whom there was no way of knowing.
Anger rose within him like a volcano getting ready to erupt and he surged forward through the Marines. When they saw who was barrelling through them they soon made room for him to pass unhindered.
When he reached the lab he saw guards surrounding the exits preventing anyone from breaking the hastily erected cordon. Pushing his way through he entered the lab.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he barked angrily indicating all the soldiers.
“An alarm went off; I thought you sent them here,” replied the lab tech in charge.
“No, I didn’t send them here, but someone did. Whoever sent them must have access to the private channels through their NI.”
“Who could do that, surely not one of your own men?” replied the tech.
“Whoever did is in big trouble. The important thing now is are the test subjects ready to be initialised?”
“I’ve done all I can with them, we have to wait now to see if the serum actually works. From the initial scans, their autonomic responses have increased off the charts. They should have increased strength, agility and reflexes. As for anything else it’s too early to say, I can’t guarantee that anything else will generate within them so the results you’re seeking may not be forthcoming.”
“There’s one sure way of finding out,” Solon said turning to the five soldiers who had been given the serum. He stood in front of the leader, Captain Anders, and said, “Captain your first task is to bring me the head of Captain Stryder. I do believe he may have escaped, the how isn’t important at this time, just bring me his head. I want him dead, is that clear?”
“Perfectly, sir! Is this mission for me alone, sir, or do I take the rest of the team?” Anders asked.
“This is a team mission which you will command. Now go, and report back to me directly,” Solon said stepping aside while the team walked briskly out of the lab.
“Now we shall see if all this has been worth the effort,” he said. Then, looking at the tech added, “Prepare another batch of serum, I want it ready for mass production within the hour.” He then left the lab to return to his office.
* * * * *
Hawk had called a secure clean up unit to take the body away and remove any evidence of the shooting. He then escorted Watkiss back to HQ. Once he was sure she was secure he went to the morgue to view the body of Temic.
Doctor Marcus Randolph was the attending ME, a small man in his fifties with thinning grey hair and shrewd eyes. He was just about to start the preliminary exam before disposing of the body. A veteran of twenty years he had seen death in all its guises so nothing seemed to faze him anymore.
As Hawk entered his domain he looked up from the slab where Temic was laid out beneath a cotton sheet, his slate grey eyes taking in the soldier as he entered purposefully.
“Come to view your handiwork I take it,” he said returning to the job at hand.
“On the contrary, Doc, I’m here to see if we can salvage anything from this,” Hawk replied shrugging off the jibe.
“Such as?” Randolph asked not bothering to look up. He was little concerned with the matters of the agents who sent a stream of work his way; he just had to deal with the after effects of it.
“Is there any chance we can save his NI? I need to salvage the call logs and anything else we can glean from it,” Hawk replied.
“Intriguing; a post mortem interrogation,” Randolph said finally looking up and smiling. Turning his gaze to the blown-apart head of Temic he said, “Well, my boy, you don’t seem to have left me much to work with.”
“It was a split second decision, I had to save a woman’s life,” Hawk explained earning a different sort of look from the ME; this
one had a little more respect in it.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said and set to work closely examining the blasted head of the soldier.
“We need the NI to see what we can learn from it. It may have valuable data stored which we can extract hopefully leading us to the whereabouts of Captain Stryder,” Hawk said. He went on to say, “So we need to know what you can do as soon as possible. Do me a favour Doc, report your findings directly to me, no one else, okay?”
Randolph looked up at him not sure what he meant by his request, but decided it was none of his business and said, “Sure, I’ll get right on it.”
“Top priority, Doc. I’ll take full responsibility so you need not worry about any flak that might come your way, I’ve got your back on this one.”
Randolph looked up again and when he saw the expression on the big man’s face he knew this was important.
“Okay, as soon as I get anything I’ll contact you,” he said with a new sense of urgency.
“Be quick Doc, but no mistakes, this is far too important. I’ll be close by, just got to report in.” Hawk left the room.
As he strode away he contacted Gemmell through a secure comm channel.
“Sir, the body is in the morgue,” he said once the connection had been made.
“Okay Matt, well done. It’s a pity that it worked out the way it did, we could really have used a break on this one,” Gemmell replied.
“It’s not over yet, sir,” Hawk said cryptically.
“What do you mean, Captain?”
“Sir, I have a plan that needs your approval for it to go ahead. There may be a chance that we can pull something out of this,” Hawk said.
“Then you’d better come to my office right away,” Gemmell replied, intrigued by what Hawk had to say.
“Am on my way sir, be there in five.” Hawk closed the connection. He was taking a gamble of that much he was sure. Having shot the Alliance soldier in the head, the only possible target presented to him at the time, he knew he was screwed. As soon as the body hit the floor his mind had begun to formulate a plan. It was tricky and dangerous and it all hinged on the fact that the one detail enabling the rest of the dangerous plan to go forward was locked inside the head of a dead soldier.
Gemmell was waiting for his arrival in his office and the moment Hawk entered he looked up and said, “So what’s this plan then?”
“I’ve asked the ME to extract the NI and pass it over to me. With a little luck I’m hoping to access the memory of the device and see if there’s anything pertaining to the whereabouts of Captain Stryder. There may be something in there that we can use, call log records, data about the mission. Once we have that we could plan a covert mission.”
“Whoa, hold on there, how do you plan on doing that?” Gemmell asked.
“Once we have the whereabouts we put together a small team of Recon Delta people who are aware of Captain Stryder and his situation. We go in using a craft that the Alliance wouldn’t suspect, something that can travel between the two zones of space with impunity, such as a freighter. We go in under cover and get him out.”
“It sounds easy but there are quite a few details missing from your plan, Captain.”
“I know, sir, but we can flesh them out en route to the destination once we have its location.”
“So you intend to lead this mission?”
“I volunteer for it, sir. I would like to see this thing through to the end,” Hawk said with conviction.
“What about the team? Have you any ideas who you’d pick?” Gemmell asked.
“I looked into the report from Research Station Five, sir, and there was a Recon Delta team heavily involved in the proceedings which was led by Captain Storm. I think his team would be the best as they already know Stryder and are familiar with the situation on Research Station Five. By all accounts Storm and Stryder became friends so the motivation is all there. I’m not sure of their location but I’m sure we can get them ready to go in time, sir.”
“Okay, it seems like you have thought this through. I suggest you pitch it to General Sinclair. He’s on Celeron, from where Stryder was snatched. If I’m not mistaken Captain Storm is there too. I suggest you make it a secure channel though,” Gemmell said.
“Thank you, sir, I will straight away,” Hawk said as he turned to leave the office.
“Captain, keep me informed of your progress,” Gemmell said halting Hawk in his tracks.
Turning to face his commanding officer he said, “Of course, sir, it goes without saying.”
“Well, I’m just saying, okay? I don’t want anyone doing an end run around me so they can grab some extra glory for themselves,” Gemmell said.
“This isn’t about glory, sir; it’s about getting two Recon Delta Marines home safe and sound,” Hawk replied.
“Good man, let’s just keep the focus on that then. There is a bigger picture here we have to be aware of and that’s the interest the Alliance has in Captain Stryder. It makes him a very valuable commodity and one we must not allow to fall into their hands. Although they have him now I will do everything in my power to recapture him and I expect the same commitment from everyone under my command.”
“You have it, sir.”
“Good, dismissed,” Gemmell said ending the interview.
Hawk left and went straight back to his own office where he could make the secure call to General Sinclair about his proposal. Once he had done that he would return to the morgue to see what progress the ME had made on retrieving the NI from the dead soldier. But first things first, he had a call to make.
* * * * *
Stryder came to a door and opening it went in dragging Hardy with him.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked angrily, as his fingers bit into the flesh at her collar.
She looked around the small room; it had shelves across the rear wall and down one side filled to capacity with cleaning products.
“This is a janitor’s closet, what the hell are we doing in here when we’re supposed to be finding our way out?” she asked, standing in front of him her fear and anger making her confrontational.
Smiling at her he said, “Quieten down for a sec.”
She didn’t know what to say for a moment then he went on with, “This place is still crawling with guards and unless you want to stand up against odds that we just can’t fight, then we need another way out of here.”
“Okay that makes sense,” she admitted.
“I’ve learned that I can communicate with the central computer,” he revealed. She looked at him askance, not sure what to make of that comment.
“Don’t ask me how, but I know what the computer is doing and can actually communicate with it,” he said.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to,” she said, then asked, “Do you mean you can talk to it?”
“Yes, I know everything that’s happening inside this base but so far I’ve had to keep myself hidden or the security protocols will initiate and I’ll be locked out. Actually, I’m not sure if it could lock me out but I’m not gonna take that chance, don’t know what it would do to me.”
“Can you give it commands?” she asked.
“I think so, would have to be subtle so as not to instigate any anti-threat measures against me. I have been thinking which would be the best diversion to use that would cause maximum confusion to help us get out of here,” he said thinking out loud.
“Fire,” she said simply as if it was the most obvious thing.
“You’re right, that would open up all the fire exits and an evacuation would have to take place which we could use to our advantage,” he said. He turned away from her and concentrated on placing a command into the central core computer that would fool it into thinking a fire had broken out in a vital location, one that had to be protected at all costs. Then the rest of the building would have to be evacuated for the safety of the inhabitants.
After a moment’s thought he had the ideal location.
* * *
* *
The fire alarm ripped through the building as an automated warning was sounded, urging everyone to stop what they were doing immediately and vacate through the nearest exit.
* * * * *
General Solon was just approaching his office when he heard the alarm. Swiftly he called security to see where the fire had broken out.
When he was informed where it was he screamed at the top of his lungs and ran from his office.
Within seconds he was outside the main lab. He could see through the Plexiglas walls that everyone was still trapped inside and that all the doors were locked to seal in the occupants and research materials from the impending blaze, except there was no fire.
Grabbing an assault rifle from the nearest guard he opened fire on the first lock. With the rifle on full power and at point blank range, all the energy from the pulsed plasma bolts struck the lock blasting it to pieces. The door slid open and he stood in the doorway.
“They’ll be looking to leave the building along with the normal personnel through one of the fire exits. Get someone on the security monitors checking everyone. I want them found!” he shouted at the Marines inside the lab. The five test subjects led by Captain Anders had already left but there were still a few Marines guarding the lab.
Solon turned to the lab tech in charge and said, “Continue working, we’ll soon get this situation under control. I want that serum ready to ship out to other Alliance bases as soon as possible. No excuses, is that clear?”
All the lab tech could do was nod his head in abject fear.
Solon turned on his heel and marched back towards his office. Changing his mind, he headed instead towards the security centre where the situation could be monitored more fully.
* * * * *
Stryder and Hardy were still in the janitor’s closet when the alarm went off.
“We’ll give it a few moments to let the chaos build before we join in and get the hell out,” Stryder said, a look of concern on his face.
