Building New Canaan - The Complete Series - A Colonization and Exploration Space Adventure

by M. D. Cooper

  They let go of her when they’d reached Martin. He was lying in a backward ‘C’. Samuel and the pig-tailed woman stood over him.

  Isa looked into his eyes, and the concern for her she saw there nearly broke her heart. She wished he wasn’t there, if only so that he wasn’t suffering at the hands of these maniacs.

  Rahmin and Ada joined Samuel and the new woman. Now that she could see them clearly, Isa noticed that Samuel and Pigtail were carrying guns.

  “Which one?” Ada asked.

  Samuel indicated Isa with a nod of his head. “She arrived first to check out Tyre; I bet she knows something. And she’ll feel it. He won’t—he has a rather sophisticated AI.”

  Prickles ran down Isa’s back. What did they intend to do? And how did they know about Eamon? Then she remembered the day at the fjords, when Martin said Eamon had measured the drop from the top of the cliff to the sea.

  “I agree,” Ada said. “She made a beeline here almost right after she arrived. She knew exactly where to snoop.”

  Pigtail sauntered over to Isa and angled the muzzle of her weapon at her head. “Tell us what you’re doing on Tyre.” She lifted a foot and pressed her boot into Isa’s shoulder. “Tell us why you really came here.”

  “Your friends know why I’m here,” Isa replied. “What kind of a stupid question is that? Why are you doing this?”

  She heard a click, and white-hot pain shot up from her thigh. She screamed. She could smell her own flesh burning.

  “Stop it!” Martin roared. “Isa, are you okay?”

  It took a moment for Isa to realize that Pigtail had shot her in the leg. Between the waves of agony, she managed a nod.

  “Now tell us why you’re here!” demanded Ada.

  “We don’t know what you’re trying to find out,” said Martin. “You’re making a big mistake, but if you stop this here and now, maybe we can still salvage this situation before it’s too late for you.”

  Pigtail laughed. “The only people it’s too late for here are you two. And everyone else on Tyre, of course. And hopefully all the New Canaanites, by the time we’re done.”

  “What?!” Martin exclaimed. “What are you going to do?”

  Samuel barked a short laugh. “I know you must find it surprising that we’re further along with our plans than you thought, but don’t pretend you don’t have any idea. I always knew you guys were dumb, but you can’t be that dumb.”

  “They’re bluffing,” said Rahmin. “Keeping up their act.”

  “Shoot her again,” Samuel said to Pigtail. “She can tell us something useful. I know it. It’ll help if we know what we’re up against.”

  “No,” Martin shouted. “Look, we really don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you tell us, maybe we can help you.”

  “No,” said Isa. “Don’t, Martin. Don’t help them.”

  His face twisted as he replied, “What difference does it make, Isa? Let’s face it, we aren’t getting out of here alive. I don’t want you to suffer more. Maybe we can tell them what they want to know. Then they’ll leave us alone. Right?” He turned slightly onto his back and looked up at Samuel.

  “Now there’s a sensible man,” Samuel said.

  “Don’t get taken in,” Rahmin said. “He’s still bluffing.”

  “So what if he is?” said Pigtail. She returned to Samuel’s side. “Let’s play along. We have time. Then if they still don’t tell us anything we can use, they die painfully. Or at least she does.”

  Isa didn’t know what Martin was up to. Maybe he was only buying time to think of a way out of the situation. If so, she hoped he came up with something, because she was out of ideas.

  “We know you were here to find out what we were doing with the antimatter,” said Ada. “You were here to look for signs of drilling, weren’t you? Detonation sites.”

  “Yes,” Samuel said. “Tell us what you found, and what your friend Erin knows.”

  Despite her pain, Isa blurted out, “Erin?”

  “Cut it out,” Rahmin yelled. “Quit the innocent act, okay?”

  For a terrifying split-second, Isa thought the Tyrians had captured Erin too, but then she realized that if they had, they probably wouldn’t be interrogating her and Martin.

  Is this whole thing tied up with Erin’s investigation? Is she under threat too?

  “We don’t know anyone named Erin,” said Martin.

  Isa guessed he had the same fear she did, that Erin was also in danger.

  Pigtail coolly walked in front of Martin and kicked him in the stomach. He gasped and then groaned, turning his head to the side.

  “Don’t lie,” Pigtail spat. “We’ve kept tabs on Erin ever since I found out she was the investigator assigned to the Irridia incident. We know you three are connected. You all went to Athens together and stayed in the same room at a hotel in Marathon. Then she suddenly turns up here.” She pointed at Isa. “Coincidence? No. We aren’t that stupid. She was sniffing around, chasing leads. Then you arrive,” she said to Martin. “We know you were searching, trying to connect the dots. Good job. Very smart. But you were too late. Even if you have found some sites, you can’t possibly have discovered more than a few. Samuel, Ada, and Rahmin kept you too busy for that. So whether you tell us what you know or not, Tyre’s going up. In a few hours, this planet will be uninhabitable. Maybe you’ll live long enough to experience it.”

  “The explosion on Irridia,” Isa exclaimed. “The sabotage. That was you!”

  Pigtail’s expression shifted to a sneer.

  “You’re going to…?” Martin asked. “What are you going to do?”

  “Is this guy dumb or what?” Rahmin asked. “We’re going to crack Tyre open like a rotten egg. Break things up a touch. Should be pretty,” he added to the others. “From space.”

  “But why would anyone want to…” said Martin. He paused and swallowed, then suddenly, he looked drained and defeated. “You’re SSS.”

  SSS?

  Isa wondered what Martin was referring to. She’d never heard of an organization that went by that name; not that it mattered. Pigtail and the others were dangerous fanatics, that was all she needed to know. ‘SSS’ probably stood for ‘Screwy Senseless Simpletons’ or ‘Strange Schizo—'

  Suddenly, Martin leapt up. His restraints were on the ground in a pile behind him. He elbowed Samuel in the face, sending the Tyrian reeling, allowing Martin to snatch the other man’s weapon.

  Isa could see that something was wrong with one of Martin’s arms—it hung uselessly while he held Samuel’s rifle one-handed. He ducked as Pippa fired, then shot up at her.

  The woman ran, quickly darting behind a crystal. Ada and Rahmin were running too as Martin sprayed fire, but Martin still managed to hit Rahmin in the back and Ada in her thigh and ass.

  “Isa,” Martin shouted.

  Samuel made a grab for his legs, and Martin shot him in the chest.

  Isa knew immediately what Martin meant. She turned over so that he could see her restraints. She would have to put her trust in his one-armed aim. A burst of fire sounded behind her, and the tension on her shoulders and ankles disappeared, though they were still bound together.

  Martin knelt down behind her and her wrists came free. She pulled them around in front of herself as he worked at her ankles.

  “Eamon couldn’t cut through the straps, but the locking mechanisms had a remote release. He was able to hack it—I wanted to say something, but then they showed up.”

  Her ankles came free, and Isa cried out from the pain in her thigh as she straightened her legs.

  “It’s OK,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Can you walk?” he asked, helping her to her feet.

  Isa leaned heavily on a crystal rising from the relatively flat area in the cavern. “Maybe…a bit.”

  She took one step, but shots echoed through the cavern, and the crystal next to her head shattered.

  “Run!” yelled Martin as he fired toward where Pigtail must have taken
cover.

  Isa lurched forward, half aware that Rahmin was nearly dead and that Ada was still alive but incapacitated. Once she began to move, it was easier to keep going, and she picked up speed, running lopsided, favoring her good leg. At first, she didn’t head in any particular direction; she only knew she had to move fast.

  She was ducking under a crystal that jutted across her path when she realized that she shouldn’t get too far from Martin. The sounds of two weapons firing still echoed in the cavern, but then the weapons fell silent.

  Isa swung around. Her leg seemed to scream. She peered back the way that she’d come, only to see that Pigtail was aiming right at her.

  “Hey,” Martin shouted.

  He was right behind Pigtail. He fired, but the woman dove out of the way, and Isa resumed her hobbling run, desperate to find safety.

  She wove around, under, and over the myriad crystals, trying to keep her balance on the uneven floor, keeping her body bent double, expecting every moment to feel a fatal shot in her back. The cavern seemed hotter and more humid than ever, and the throbbing from her wound occupied nearly all her attention.

  All she could hear was her own breathing and the noise her movements created, echoing faintly from the never-ending, hard, reflective surfaces. After some time, she knew she couldn’t go any farther without rest. She glanced back and saw nothing but a sea of crystals.

  Martin, Pigtail, and the Tyrians had disappeared.

  She halted and knelt down, tucking herself into a narrow gap amidst a cluster of crystals that would conceal her but allow her to see out through a narrow crack.

  Then Isa waited and watched.

  SPELUNKING

  STELLAR DATE: 03.22.8937 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: Tyrian Constabulary Pinnace Darting Fire

  REGION: Tyre, New Canaan System

  “I think it’s time we make our move,” said Usef. “I know there are risks, but the time they’re taking…well, it’s too long for simple retrieval of the antimatter. They’re up to something else. If we get Pippa Dhami in custody, we can extract useful information from her. As it is, we’re playing a guessing game and letting them take the lead. I don’t like it.”

  Seniority between Erin and Major Usef regarding the assignment had never been established, but Erin had a suspicion that if push came to shove, the major would have his way.

  In all honesty, he was being generous in giving her a say. She suspected he was also right. They had been following and watching long enough; it was time to act. Erin was also growing more and more desperate to find out what had happened to Isa and Martin. Pippa’s associates might be able to tell her, or she could mount a search once they were in custody.

  “Okay, Major,” she said. “I’m in agreement. It’s time to go caving.”

  The major gave the command to his squad of Marines, and they began to prepare to leave the ship, assembling the equipment and weaponry they would need for the operation to extract Pippa and the Tyrians from the cave.

  Chief Kang saw what was going on and correctly guessed what it meant, though the major hadn’t yet told her.

  “You’re going into the cave?” she asked. “My officers will accompany you. They’re familiar with the territory and will know what to expect.”

  “Thanks for the offer, ma’am,” Usef said. “But I don’t think that will be necessary. My Marines know how to work as a team and have been studying the cave’s layout the entire time we’ve been up here. Adding more individuals to the mix will complicate things and may make us less effective.”

  The chief chewed on his response for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “We’ll be ready to back you up.”

  “We’ll need to land somewhere soon to disembark,” Usef said. “Can you recommend a place near the cave entrance where we can set down unnoticed?”

  The chief took the bone he’d thrown her and said, “That won’t be a problem. Give me a minute, Major.”

  “I want to try to take them by surprise if we can,” Usef explained to Erin. “I’ve looked at the cave system map that Onyx provided, and if they know we’re coming and get away from us, there are thousands of places they could hide. I don’t want to spend forever down there trying to find them.”

  When she got a chance to study the map, Erin could see what he meant. They would have to go in quickly and quietly. But the only place near the cave that was flat enough to land on was the lot directly outside the entrance. If they touched down there and the suspects were on their way out of the cave, they would likely hear the craft even in stealth mode.

  The night was windless, and the mountainside would be quiet, especially at that time of night. Pippa and the others might then run back into the cave, and then it would be a long game of hide-and-go-seek.

  Chief Kang walked over to consult the holotank which still displayed an image of the mountainside. She chatted with Usef and told him where the pilot would land the ship, and laid out the best route to the cave entrance. They would approach from up slope, Erin guessed.

  Walter asked.

 

  said Walter.

 

  Erin left the pinnace’s central room for one of the rear storage areas.

  Ten minutes later, the police cruiser was gently lowering toward a small clearing. The Marines were queued up, waiting to leave the ship, and Erin joined the end of the line. Major Usef spotted her.

  “I was going to recommend that you remain aboard the ship,” he said.

  “I guessed you might,” Erin said, “but as you can see, I came prepared.” She was wearing the armor that Usef had requisitioned for her when they were working together to defeat the picotech thief. Erin’s small stature meant that though the Marines’ armor conformed to most sizes, it was far too big for her. She suspected that Usef had counted on that.

  “I didn’t know you’d brought that along,” Usef countered.

  “Just thinking ahead, Major. So, if I might have a weapon too? I have a pulse pistol, but….”

  The major still wavered, so Erin added, “I hope I don’t have to remind you that it was me who spotted Hart at the space elevator site and who fired the first shot. And hit him.”

  The major’s broad forehead remained creased in a troubled frown, but he told a private to fetch a rifle for Erin. Then he returned to the side of the line, muttering something that sounded like, ‘Stars save me from the logical minds of engineers.’

  When the private returned with Erin’s weapon and handed it to her, Usef gave her a serious look. “Don’t point that—”

  “At anything I don’t want to kill,” Erin finished for him.

  His eyes briefly flicked heavenward, then he looked Erin up and down and said, “And if we encounter fire, feel free—”

  “To stand behind you,” said Erin. “I remember that, too.” She settled her helmet on her head, ready to face whatever may come.

  The police cruiser swayed a little, then bumped as it touched down. The ramp began to lower. Usef faced the front and told his Marines to get ready to disembark.

  Despite her confidence in front of the major, Erin was growing more and more agitated. She was worried about Isa and Martin. The evening was getting late; even if they’d been beyond Link access for some innocent reason, like being on a caving trip, they should have been on their way back to their hotel by then, and easily contactable. Unless they were spending the night at an extremely remote location, Erin could only conclude that there was a more sinister explanation for their silence.

  The ramp was down, and the Marines were stepping off, each soldier disappearing from view as they activated their armor’s stealth systems. A chill wind swept into the cruiser, due to the night temperatures and altitude, though Erin didn’t feel it—it only registered as a number on her HUD,
one of many, as she followed the major, last to disembark.

  As they stepped through the dark forest that covered the mountain, Erin saw the night terrain and heard the night noises through her helmet’s sensors. She realized that Usef was moving amazingly quietly despite his size. She stayed in his footsteps as they made their way down the trackless slope, their only natural light coming from the stars of the Cradle shining through the canopy of leaves overhead.

  Chief Kang had said they would reach the cave entrance after a trek of seven or eight minutes. Erin hoped that their targets hadn’t left the cave in the interval. They’d already been down there an awful long time.

  She was about to ask Usef if he thought that was likely when he added her to the combat net, and she saw a feed from a drone that was watching the cave’s entrance.

  Erin’s thoughts turned once again to Pippa and her plan. The woman had to know that Erin would discover that she’d left Carthage before long, and would follow her to Tyre sooner or later. Did she know that her disappearance had been discovered so quickly? She’d relied on Anwen’s silence, and, as it turned out, she’d been correct in predicting that her sister wouldn’t tell on her, even if she guessed that Pippa might be doing something prohibited. Especially if she thought Pippa might be doing something prohibited.

  The ground was becoming more precipitous, and Erin was grabbing the tree trunks to prevent herself from sliding down on the leaf litter. Below them, a single light shone out above the entrance to the cave. Every so often, a black shape would pass in front of it. Bats, or maybe owls, she supposed. Erin could just make out the black wedge shape of the Tyrians’ pinnace in the lot opposite the entrance.

  A slim trail had appeared between the trees, probably created by the local wildlife. The Marines at the front of the line were already heading down it, walking the last fifty meters or so to the cave. Swiftly, Usef and Erin followed, slipping around the rocky margin that marked the opening and then through the entrance.