Chapter 25 Facing the Press
The night passed without incident and they awoke rested and refreshed, ready to face the assembled ranks of what was left of the free and not so free press. They were all in their finest dress uniforms. Ford as always has had his trademark cyber cloak draped casually over the top of his, the hood thrown back, concealing any number of things. Even Scott had scrubbed up clean and looked almost dashing and debonair. A Robin Hood figure rather than a criminal and people trafficker of the worst kind. Ford made sure to cuff him again before they made ready to leave.
Meanwhile, in a dusty, abandoned section of the station, two men looked at each other nodded, stood up, and moved off to pursue the allotted targets. Leaving their female companion alone in the dark.
“You’re not really taking me out there to feed me to the wolves? They’ll be a riot once they realise who I am.”
“Relax, the place will be crawling with security, no one’s going to get near you. I want you out there at the top table ready to denounce Clarkson if he double crosses us.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“You confess your crimes and spend the rest of your days in penal servitude in the Scorpion Nebula.”
“It’s not much of deal for me is it?”
Carol looked at Ford. “You know perhaps we should just feed him to the wolves and be done with it.”
Ford looked at Scott, shrugging and holding up his outstretched palms as he did so. “If I were you I wouldn’t push your luck, the rest of my crew aren’t as forgiving as me.”
“Fine, but I seriously doubt any of us are going to get off this station alive. You have no idea how the universe really works, you're nothing but fools, all of you.”
The door to their quarters slid and open and Haidar appeared with a full security detail. “We’ve cleared your way to the conference hall and sealed it off with security. We don’t want anyone getting any ideas about taking a pot shot at our friend ‘Captain Scott’ here, do we?” he emphasised Scott’s name subconsciously grinding it into the floor with his heel as he spoke. “The conference hall is full to overflowing, but we’ve swept everyone coming in for weapons. My people and yours are mingling with the crowd, looking for anything suspicious just in case.”
“Fools, your all bloody fools, do you seriously thing that will stop the people you’re dealing with? They have access to tech to you can’t begin to imagine.”
Ford laughed. “I’ve made a career out of people underestimating what I’m capable of. Now let’s get this over with 'Captain Scott'.”
Haidar hadn’t been exaggerating the room was rammed to capacity. Ford and Faiz noted with satisfaction that their people had quietly spread themselves across the room, looking for trouble. Interspersed with Haidar’s high profile, heavily armed, internal security, dotted around at regular intervals. Ford scanned the crowd, using his neural link to Alaster to check the data banks for dangerous faces, but found nothing out of the ordinary. A bank of powerful spotlights hung overhead. Above the oblong table that sat on a raised dais, surrounded by banks of cameras and microphones, behind which sat the assembled ranks of the great and the good from the leading press networks. Behind them a row of heavily armed security guards fanned out in a semi-circle, to ensure that the public gallery kept its distance.
The centre most chair, slightly higher than the rest, had been reserved for Governor Clarkson. Who was just taking his seat, amid the flash and glare of a frenzied press core, anxious for details of a momentous announcement. Something to trump their live action coverage of the attack on Nova-7 and subsequent destruction of the Anterian swarm ship. Off to his left seats had been reserved for Ford, Scott, Vlade and Horra, to his right Tasha flanked by Fiaz and Viqaas and finally Logan. As they took their seats, two of Bryson’s handpicked security guards took up positions behind Scott, scanning the crowd weapons at the ready. Scott was sweating, small beads of perspiration running down his forehead.
He lent across and whisper in Fords ear. “If by some miracle I survive this, I swear I’ll kill you.” before one of the security guards grabbed the scruff of his collar and pulled him back.
Ford signalled to the officer to release him, holding his hand across his face to mask his words from the press and whispered back. “Best join the queue then, but I’d watch your own back first if I were you.”
Governor Clarkson waited till everyone was in their seats before pushing his chair back and slowly rising to his feet. A hushed silence fell over the room as everyone realised the conference was about to begin. Clarkson cleared his throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press. We are here today to celebrate our deliverance from the Anterian threat and acknowledge those who assisted us in that battle.” he gestured towards Ford and Faiz. “And embark on a brave new chapter, to secure the future of Nova-7 and the rest of this sector from any future incursions.”
He waited for his words to sink in. A mummer rippled across the assembled reporters, rising to a crescendo and erupting into a dozen questions being shouted all at once, as they clamoured for his attention.
He held up his hand to silence them, smiling as he did so. His immaculate white suit dazzling everyone under the intense glare of the lights. “Please ladies and gentlemen of the press be patient. We will be happy to take any questions you have. Once I have announced the details of the historic deal I have brokered, to secure the future of those brave and courageous exiles who fought alongside us.”
“Bastard knows how to work a crowd.” said Carol. Turning to Anna, who’d come across from the Themis with Bryson’s undercover detachment, to join them for the conference. As they mingled with the huddled masses in the public gallery.
She nodded and whispered back, as a morose, black suited stranger, pushed past her to get a better view. “If only they knew the truth, but politics is dirty business, even for us, and we’re supposed to be the good guys. Kind of sticks in your throat doesn’t it?”
Carol nodded silently, keeping one eye on the stranger who’d pushed past them. He seemed cool and detached, in the crowd, but somehow not quite part of it. For some illogical reason, she couldn't quite pin down, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She nudged Anna and hissed in her ear. “Something’s not right about that guy who pushed past you, can’t quite put my finger on it.”
A ripple of revulsion ran through the crowd Clarkson had just revealed his shock and horror at the discovery of the ‘Meat Run’. Thanking Ford, Faiz, and the others, for their role in ending it. Promising to bring the surviving Raiders, who carried out this heinous trade under their noses, to justice, before handing over to Scott for his public confession. A hush fell over the crowd. The guards behind him and around the room tensing as Scott, his hands still cuffed, stood up and coughed a couple of times to clear his throat. Before he could speak, the room trembled and the lights flickered, as the shock wave of a massive explosion rumbled through the station. The crowd looked at each other nervously, wondering what to do next. Then the comms crackled into life. The security teams looking anxiously around the room as they checked their intel. While Clarkson appealed for calm. Scott slumped back into his chair, trying to make himself as small a target as possible.
Carol, who was frantically trying to make sense of the comms chatter, turned to Anna. “A suicide bombers just taken out the high security wing, no survivors.”
Anna nudged her in the ribs and pointed towards the stage. Viqaas was pointing in their direction and saying something to Faiz. It looked like he was pointing at the man who’d pushed past them a few moments ago. Then all hell broke loose. The man, now standing in front of them, raised his right arm, grabbing hold of his wrist with his left hand. He ripped his right hand off, casually tossing it into the crowd. It was pandemonium, people scattering for cover, screaming, as he open fire. Indiscriminately strafing the stage, with the compact Gatling laser, built into his forearm.
Anna grabbed Carol by the collar and pulled her cle
ar of the scrum. Trying to avoid getting crushed by the crowd, as they stampeded for the exits, caught in the crossfire as security returned fire. Tables were being overturned on the stage as Clarkson, Ford and the others dived for cover. It was total chaos, as security tried to protect the VIP’s, take their man down, evacuate the crowed conference room and minimise civilian casualties. Carol was dimly aware of a child screaming for its mother, as Anna pulled her against a wall and out of terrified stream of people. Haidar was barking orders frantically into his comm unit, trying to regain some sort of control of the situation, but many of his men were caught up in the crush, swept along in the crowd. Carol breathed a sigh of relief. A heavily armoured security guard had swept the screaming child up into his arms, to prevent it being crushed by the crowd, as he was carried along in the mindless stampede of panic.
Anna face was pale, she’d scanned their man, the cyborg, with her medical scanner and didn’t like the results. She gesture to Carol not to fire on their assailant and opened a comm link to Ford.
“Whatever you do don’t kill the Cyborg.” she yelled. As one of the security guards, assigned to Scott, took a hit in the chest and was send flying back through the air.”
Ford poked his head briefly above the table and, checking he had a clear line of sight, loosed off a couple shots with his pistol. Ducking back down, before the cyborg swept his deadly hail of fire back across the stage in his direction.
“Why not? It’s sure as hell not taking any prisoners.”
“I’ve scanned it and it’s a walking bomb, rigged to blow if you take it down. I’m guessing it’s like the one that took the prison down.”
“Well, no guessing who this one is programmed to kill. So how the hell did it get past security and how do we stop it?” Ford yelled over the sound of gunfire. Looking either side of him to his comrades, as the cyborg swept their position again, raking it with fire. “These tables won’t last forever.”
“There’s just enough human left in it to fool the sensors, poor bastard, but if you want rid of it, your going have to freeze it and throw it out an airlock, quickly.”
“That’s your plan?”
“Got a better one?” she replied readying a medical injector.
The room was all but empty now, apart from the litter of chaos, upturned tables, chairs and bodies strewn across the floor. Some shot by the cyborg, some by security, others crushed in the panicked escape. The cyborg had stopped firing and turned its head towards Anna.
It was Carol’s turn to pull Anna to safety, pushing her behind an upturned table as the Cyborg turned and opened fire on them.
“I don’t suppose anyone stopped to consider if that mechanical monstrosity was monitoring our communications?” she screamed clutching her left leg, which had been severed below the knee. “Oh, and some covering fire would be nice. He’s getting a little close for comfort and I'd really like to stay attached to my remaining limbs. “ she added, as an afterthought. As, what was left of her ripped suit, responded by compressing itself around the wound. Stemming the loss of blood, as it pumped medical nanobots and pain killers into her system.
Anna dragged her behind the table and gave her a booster from her medical kit. “Hold it together, we’re both going to get through this.” she said, grabbing her chin and turning her gaze away from her severed leg.
“Covering fire. ” yelled Ford. As the cyborg swung away from them, scything down anyone brave or foolish enough to show themselves, as they drew its fire away from them. “How's Carol?”
“In shock, but she’ll be good as new, once we get her back to the Themis.”
“Good are you ready to freeze that bastard, because we’re ready to push it out the nearest airlock.”
“Affirmative.”
“Good, then let’s do this, and if it doesn’t work, well it’s been one hell of ride people.”
Haidar leapt to his feet, firing his pistol, screaming at his men to open fire. The air fizzed and hummed with energy. The cyborg spinning around crazily, trying to focus its fire on the most immediate threat, as plasma bolts rained down on it from multiple positions. Anna, Carols unconscious body slumped beside her, could feel the adrenalin pulsing through her body. The creature, sensing it was about to lose the battle, was getting ready to initiate its detonation sequence. There was no way of knowing how long it would take to detonate. She had to act, now. Leaping out from behind the table, she rushed forward and plunged the preloaded injector into its neck.
“Ceasefire.” screamed Ford, as he saw her break cover, wrestling with creature.
Everything took on a slow motion quality. Haidar spinning crazily to the ground, his pistol flying from his hand, as he took a stay shot from the cyborg. He was dimly aware of Vlade leaping over the tables, propelling himself forward at incredible speed on all fours. Using both his legs and secondary arms to cover the short distance between them and the cyborg, but even he was not quick enough to stop it. As, with the injector embedded in its neck, it picked Anna up by the throat and tossed her aside like a rag doll. Ignoring Anna, Vlade grabbed the creature, temporarily arrested mid-detonation, with his primary arms and rushed towards the nearest airlock.
Anna flew through the air and slammed into the metal plating, leaving a body shaped dent in the wall, as she slid to the floor. Judging by the complete lack of sensation, she guessed that its grip must have broken her neck. She was completely helpless, unable to move. She could only hope that her suit was still functioning and would stabilise her long enough to get her back onto the Themis med deck. She watched Vlade fly out the door with the cyborg. She could feel her senses dimming, her eyelids becoming too heavy to keep open. The last thing she heard was she was the whoosh of a nearby emergency airlock she'd noticed on the way in, or was it was the whoosh of an exploding cyborg? She thought, as the world slowly faded to black around her.
Exiles Page 49
