Cadet: Star Defenders Book Two: Space Opera Adventure

by Pamela Stewart

  I reached the science level and descended the ladder. After a glance, I jogged down the hallway.

  A handful of cadets rounded the corner. The academy ran classes continuously, but fewer during the night cycle.

  They hustled down the hall. A girl I passed looked me up and down. Her eyes widened. I remembered I was wearing Amelie’s party costume.

  These clothes drew too much attention. Every floor had a uniform dispensary on the upper levels. I needed to break in and snag one. Then I could get to Amelie without being nabbed.

  I searched the signs and spied the dispensary a few feet away.

  The sound of a large group spiked my heart rate. A squad of security marched in formation around the corner.

  I scurried to the room that had Uniforms emblazoned in iridescent color plastered on the facing. I’d never seen a dispensary with that sign, but my wristlet was rarely wrong.

  I stood inside the doorway, breathing heavily.

  It was a classroom filled with cadets and an instructor.

  “I suggest in the future that you wear appropriate Academy-approved outerwear.”

  The instructor was lanky. A light indent on her wrist told me she was probably Hub born and had her tattoo removed. She wore officer’s whites but had an unusual symbol on the shoulder where her rank would usually be.

  I nodded, trying to think of some way to get out of this. At least I was out of the line of fire from the guards.

  “This provides us an opportunity to try out some of our lessons cadet... What is your name?”

  “Dax.” I cringed inside. I probably should’ve used a fake name.

  My eyes darted around the classroom, looking for any potential escape. I glanced up to meet her gaze.

  “Cadet Dax. Our test designs are there.” She pointed to the back of the room. A blind stood there to change behind. The teacher handed me a small ball of material. “Change, so I can show the class how it can reform to the shape of the user.”

  I blinked slowly and looked around the classroom. Large swatches of materials in dark blue, gray, white, and black sprawled over the wide tables. Some appeared reptilian, others like chain metal or polyplastic link.

  This was a uniform design class. And the teacher didn't seem to care that I wasn’t a student. My current outfit would be a beacon to security, so changing was a good idea.

  Living in the Hub, if you were going to lie, you had to commit. I grabbed the uniform and strode to the back of the classroom into the changing area. I quickly shed Amelie's party clothes.

  The officer’s white outfit was about the size of my palm.

  I pulled it up my right leg. Immediately the material grew to cover me to my hipbone. I slipped in the other leg, and the material expanded and stretched, reforming to fit me. The cloth felt amazingly resilient, even better than the cadet uniform.

  “Mister Dax, please, would you model the outfit.”

  The classroom door slid open. I vainly looked for any way out, an air vent or back door, but a squadron of security blocked the only exit.

  I peeked out around the blind. They weren’t MPs. These were Phantom Ops with the skull on their shoulders and shielding masks on their faces. Yeah, I was in the deepest trouble.

  The leader stepped forward and addressed the instructor. “Have you seen anything unusual?”

  “No. Leave. I do not enjoy interruptions to my class.” Her voice dropped into officer mode.

  The lead soldier saluted. “Let us know if you notice anything.”

  “I will.”

  They turned and left the classroom, just like that. My body sagged. Another close call. Why had she done that? Maybe she just didn’t think that a guy in party clothes was strange in a military academy.

  “Mr. Dax, let me see the new uniform.”

  I walked up to the front of the classroom, and she circled me, nodding appreciatively.

  “It looks good on you.”

  She grabbed a writing stylus from her desk and jabbed me in the ribs.

  I jerked back. “I didn’t even feel that!”

  “Good! The poly fiber is rerouting the kinetic energy. It won’t work for massive concussive force, but for small things, it should do quite nicely. Well done. Keep the suit for now and take a seat.”

  I waited for her to say something about the doom patrol.

  The whole class seemed fairly involved in their creative work, cutting swatches of materials and piecing them together. They had no interest in what was happening to me.

  I sat down, and the teacher gave me a textbook about a virtual hologram detailing the history of textiles, which I pretended to read.

  The buzzer rang. I started to leave, and she grabbed me before I could dart into the hallway.

  “I need to make sure that you're on the proper roster next time you come to class. What is your full name?”

  “Dax James.”

  She made a note on her holopad. “Make sure you bring back the prototype by 0800 tomorrow.”

  I nodded and waited for her to release me.

  She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. I was waiting for her to figure out I had never been to her class before.

  “You look familiar. Are you from the Hub?”

  I nodded.

  She tilted her head. “There aren’t a lot of us here. Stay out of trouble. Dismissed.”

  I left the classroom and took in slow breaths to gather myself. I couldn't believe I’d escaped, but sometimes Sol was on your side. I raced down the hall toward the science lab, looking for any updates from Amelie.

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Vega

  I’d thought I couldn’t move or raise my head, but abject terror gave me a crazy amount of energy.

  My body flapped on the tile like a fish out of water. The reptile twisted toward me and took one big lumbering step in my direction.

  I didn't know much about wildlife, but that creature wasn't native to any planet I’d ever seen. It hovered low to the ground with a toothy mouth and a forked tongue.

  I wondered if it used sight or sound to navigate. We seemed to be in a standoff.

  If I didn't move, it didn't move.

  The sound of dripping water echoed through the vast white room. Time worked against me as the toxin pulsed through my veins.

  Goals for the day. I had to get out, find an antidote, and avoid getting eaten, not necessarily in that order.

  Assets were limited. The suit nixed my strength. My brain fogged, but that didn’t stop ideas from forming.

  If I could move, I could take on the beast and possibly force the door. I had no way of getting out—unless.

  But it was too crazy, too risky.

  I wanted other options.

  I didn’t have the time for second-guessing. Either I could allow myself to lay in a stalemate with a dinosaur-crocodile hybrid and die by poisoning, or I could try something else.

  I waved my hands, wiggling them like worms. “Come and get it!”

  The beast jerked its attention to me and took two steps forward, tongue flicking wildly. It had eye sockets on each side of its wedge-shaped head, but it didn’t seem to be using visuals to navigate.

  My body locked. My guts screamed to avoid the predator.

  But I had to keep my senses and follow the plan. No matter how hard. My thoughts splintered. Part of me just wanted to close my eyes and sleep.

  My stomach rolled into a hard knot and wound my diaphragm.

  Breathing came in hard gasps. My clock counted down.

  I forced myself to start moving again, dragging myself toward the exit.

  The creature renewed its interest and closed the distance between us. It snapped in the general direction of my flailing arms.

  Up close, I could see the armored gray skin, dead eyes, and teeth. Mostly I saw the serrated teeth.

  It snapped at me. I pressed my arm into its mouth. It bit down into the flesh of my arm, slicing through my uniform sleeve and part of the ecuff.

  H
owling, I fought to free myself.

  The serrated teeth burned. There had to be some kind of acid in its saliva. It tried to shake its head.

  My arm felt like it was going to come off. The skin flamed, and nausea overwhelmed me.

  A sizzle ran over the suit, and the weight fell off.

  This was what I’d hoped would happen. The suit was damaged, disrupting the gravity field and releasing my limbs.

  The chains had been removed, and I was free to fight back. I punched the creature with my free fist.

  It screamed, and the jaw loosened enough for me to pull out my bloodied arm.

  I lurched to my feet. With uneven steps, I stumbled to the exit. The coppery smell of blood filled my nose. I dug my fingers into the gap harder, trying to dig into the plastimetal. But even planetstrength couldn’t help.

  A shuffling sound emerged from behind me, and I turned.

  The creature hissed and thrust its tongue in the air.

  My right arm dripped blood. It probably rang its senses like a dinner bell.

  The monster shot at me, quick and direct. I jerked to the side. It chomped blindly forward, snatching air.

  The creature shook its head and stuck out his tongue again. Numbness spread down my arm.

  I may be able to take it one-handed, but if it bit me again, the battle was over.

  The creature was about to bolt at me again. I could tell by the way its chunky back legs dug into the tile floor, and its head whipped back and forth.

  I stilled. Thinking about how fast it moved versus how quickly I hustled.

  It launched at me, aiming for my legs again. I pulled back and kicked it in the head with my boot. My timing had been perfect.

  Its jaw jerked straight up until it faced to the ceiling with a sickening crack. The creature lay on its belly, squat legs spread eagle.

  Dead. It had to be dead.

  I was strong again, but more than my physical strength had returned.

  I'd found the bottom of my will, and there was still something left.

  It wasn't just my planetstrength that made me who I was. And something about that gave me hope.

  Blood dripped from my slack hand into a puddle around me. I looked for something, anything to staunch the flow, and grabbed a couple of towels, shoving one in my pocket. What would I do now?

  Mostly I just wanted to leave. Find a safe sanctuary. Rest.

  But I certainly didn't have anywhere to go. Nowhere on the Mil-station was safe. Everyone was a potential enemy. I inhaled deeply. I didn’t know where I’d go, but I couldn't stay in the restroom. Gleason's guards would be back to dispose of the waste.

  I took a small tool bag out of the supply closet that I’d used when I did my pit duty. I found a long thick piece of plastimetal and jammed it into the door crevice.

  If Gleason’s boys were still around waiting, my escape would be short-lived. I should have considered what I would do once I got out of the room, but my thoughts scattered. Run thumped on repeat in my ears.

  I prepared myself for anything and worked the tool into the opening. Finally, it wiggled and loosened.

  The door popped open like an airlock.

  And on the other side stood Hamzah.

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  Amelie

  The tiny experiment bit into me as if I were a gourmet bag of guzzle chips.

  I screamed and flailed my hands. The pain was excruciating. Acid rolled under my skin from the bite mark. I dug my fingernails into the creature and dashed it against the floor. Then stomped on it. Twice.

  Thankfully, it didn't move again.

  I whirled on my heel, immediately throwing my arms up as more of them came toward me. I searched for my paddle. They had gotten so close, it would be almost useless now. They were inside my guard.

  They weren’t monsters but an experiment that I'd been studying all week. I should know something about them—a weakness.

  My dress made moving difficult. A creature grabbed my fluffed sleeve, and I slammed myself against a wall to dislodge it. Others crept toward me.

  I raced to the back of the lab, looking for something that would work against them.

  And then I saw the tank with their food. I flipped it open and prayed.

  The creatures converged on me until one of them in the back of the posse lifted its tiny wedge-shaped head and hissed. The rest of them repeated the call, and they changed direction.

  They rushed the tank fighting each other for the chum on the floor.

  The creatures slurped their food, screaming. Soon they’d remember me.

  Simmering fire from my right shoulder urged me to get out, and I obeyed.

  I slammed the door to the back lab area and ran, aiming for the external door that was still lit green.

  When I was five feet away, the light turned red, and the door slid closed.

  “No!”

  What the hell happened? I returned to the computer. A self-repairing algorithm had overridden my virus. It would take me forever to come up with a new chain, and the door wouldn’t hold the creatures that long.

  I was trapped. It was only a matter of time before the professor came back and found me. My adrenaline drained.

  Warm trickles of blood ran down my neck and décolletage, marring my dress. I pressed my back against the door and slid down into the pouf of my outfit, releasing a long sigh.

  My head bent, and my eyes squeezed shut.

  The throb in my shoulder pulled my attention. I'd have to get some anti-venom.

  I levered myself up to retrieve a first aid kit. I’d memorized all the locations after what happened to Nanami.

  How was the doctor keeping all these secrets from the higher-ups? Or had everything been mandated by the brass? And why set them on their students?

  If Sinclair was running his own game, that would make more sense.

  What that was...I couldn't even fathom. I wasn't a strategic thinker. I simply assembled information.

  After taking out the first aid kit, I placed a clear plastic swab on my shoulder. The poison drew out of my body, and sensation returned to my neck and shoulder.

  Maybe I would have time to hack the door again. Something slammed against the door in the back. A significant dent appeared, the metal bowed out.

  That wasn’t the tiny creatures anymore.

  There was something else. Something bigger and stronger.

  Stomach-churning, I considered. There had been six doors inside of the secret lab. I knew something enormous lurked in those catacombs. What if the doctor had set it loose as well?

  My hopes nosedived like a ship whose engines had been uncoupled.

  I wondered where Dax was. He said he was coming.

  He could have been in worse trouble than I was, pinned down or captured. But gosh, it would have been nice to see him again and try to make things right between us.

  I allowed my fingers to move across the holo keyboards, bending code as fast as my brain could function. I would fight to the end, just like Vega had taught me.

  The humming of the processor was a serenade. I opened a new back door and set my code-breaking program to work. I also copied as many files as I could onto one of my magnifier chips.

  Maybe if something happened to me, like premature death, someone would find the information and get the word out.

  Another hulk of something smashed against the door to Sinclair’s secret lab. My heart jumped hard in my chest.

  My time was more constrained than I’d imagined. From the progress the creature was making, one, maybe two, more hits would break the hinges.

  Not enough time for my breaker to work.

  I swallowed hard.

  Alternate plan. I scrambled from station to station, pulling out tools and chemicals and searching for any idea that might help.

  Two compounds sat on the workstation, and something about them pulled me.

  My tutor's voice replayed in a low, nasally whisper. “Never put these together as the compound causes a
chemical reaction that will create massive damage and injury.”

  I wanted both of those.

  Slipping on a pair of gloves, I got to work.

  The banging and growling kept my heart rate jacked. I checked and rechecked the codebreaker, still working.

  With trembling hands, I placed the first charges around the entrance of Sinclair’s secret lab, and rigged a remote control to my wristlet.

  I flipped one of the tables with a massive thud and huddled behind it. My mouth was parched.

  The explosion could kill me just as easily as it could free me.

  My estimates of the power of the blast were untested, and I didn’t have time to do more research. The creature collided with the door again, and it flew back, revealing the thing inside.

  The childish part of me called it by its name...monster.

  I closed my eyes and pressed the button.

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Ethan

  I was surprised how many times I could get punched and kicked in the ribs and not have one broken.

  Twenty-seven so far.

  At last, my left side collapsed inward. Breathing became hard. Pain radiated from the spot, and my stomach squeezed.

  I curled in, protecting the side with my arm.

  Gleason smiled through a mouthful of blood. “Sucks when they break, don’t it?”

  He was toying with me. He jabbed, aiming at my jaw.

  I dodged but stepped into another body blow.

  He was punishing me for taking the wrong side. Maybe I could still talk some sense into him.

  He had rescued me from the Hub. He had compassion in him. He was like my dad or what I imagined a dad would be. He cared if I lived or died. He taught me to fight and survive.

  Why couldn't he see that sacrificing Vega was wrong?

  “Why? Why are you doing this? She's just a girl.”

  He stopped punching. His hands fell to his sides, and he glared at me as if he’d never seen me before.

  “She's not just a girl. She’s the enemy. Anything that stands between the Ax-Mil and its goals is the enemy and must be eradicated.”

  I let my guard drop and put out a hand.

  “I’m an obstacle to the goals of the military. Am I just something to be eradicated?”