by V Guy
“I’m a little concerned about being detected. No one is supposed to be here.”
Malik growled. “I tasked the surveillance satellites to focus slightly to the west. Monitoring drones dropped after the battalion’s disappearance lost connection several days ago, went dormant, and haven’t been reactivated. No one has a reason to look this direction.”
“What about those without reasons?”
“They’d better be sharp-eyed and quick, because we won’t be around long.”
Their first stop was a crashed ASP. Evelyn remained in the Rumbler while Malik pilfered the crashed machine of useable parts and stashed them in the hovercraft’s rear storage area. He ran to four other crashed airborne security patrols to pilfer them.
He moved to an autoloader next. The bulky structure was made to service four ASPs, and on each of the stations a craft waited. Evelyn exited the Rumbler, engaged a portable power unit to activate the locking mechanism, and broke the entry code.
She entered the cramped passage and glanced around in awe. “You should see the ammo in here. If we don’t already have enough for Bedele, we do now.”
“I slightly changed our plans,” he said through his comm. “I wanted to reduce the potential casualties.”
“Ours?”
“Theirs.”
“I thought you wanted to kill the management, which is why we were to attack during the day.”
“I do, but the real problem is the resident time. Think of the police and military contingent that will arrive if an alarm gets tripped. We’ll go at night.”
There was a pause. “Then why are we getting these?”
“Just in case they’re necessary. Can you see the fuel lines?”
“Yes.” She squeezed up the access ladder. “There are hazard labels everywhere. Why would ASPs have settled here if the fuel was expired?”
“They wouldn’t have known. The previous ASPs would’ve taken the remaining enriched BELEN and left these with nothing. They landed, waiting patiently until running out of power.”
“Then they’re dead,” said Evelyn, tracing fuel lines and marking valves. “What happens when they resurrect?”
“They revert to their original programming and try to kill us.”
She stopped and cursed.
He could sense her frown. “Which is why you’re here. Because you’ll help me change their minds all over again.”
Her annoyance was evident. She connected a transfer hose from one of his portable containers to an auxiliary valve as a final step. Once that was complete, he climbed on top of the first ASP and connected a portable power source.
“Get ready,” he said, jumping from the autoloader.
The ASP’s electronics came to life, and it hungrily refreshed its BELEN from the new supply. After taking all the enriched fuel, it rose from its perch and stopped.
Malik’s mind bound the dangerous craft and Evelyn’s followed, completing the necessary alterations with a confidence born from experience. Their minds withdrew as the ASP incorporated the modifications. Priorities changed, loyalties were altered, and military remote-access rights were terminated. Malik mentally nudged it, and the craft cruised to Pathfinder.
Evelyn emerged from the confined space into cooler air. “You know I hate doing that.”
“Just one more.”
She reentered the access hatch. The second attempt to revitalize and enslave an ASP proceeded as smoothly as the first, and she eagerly departed the structure to reach the cool of the Rumbler. Her hovercraft arrived at the ship before his and entered under the presence of the dangerous sentinels. Malik arrived on foot several minutes later.
Sweat was dripping off her head when she removed her gear. After giving him a disapproving glare, she lay above to take a shower. Both craft were situated in the cargo deck’s primary passage when she returned. They were shut down, and their bodies rested on the prepared cradles. Their broad wing assemblies had been folded upward to allow easier entry into the vessel.
“These are frightening,” she said, approaching Malik as he opened access panels on the forward ASP. Decontaminating bots hovered nearby, awaiting their turn.
“They’re lethal, but we own them now.”
“Speaking of owners,” said Evelyn. “I’ve heard you’re having flashbacks.”
Malik shrugged. “Just an old grievance. Some things die hard.”
“I’m concerned about you,” she said, moving close.
He removed an access plate on the ASP’s flank. “I always believed I was a man in a reptile’s skin, and I longed to be a man again and be treated as one. This remained true during the supposed body modifications exacted upon me and the years following my rescue. All I desired was to be valued.”
After clearing one side’s worth of panels, he guided the craft into the middle of the passage. The bots began their work on the exposed areas.
“Selena offered it freely,” he continued. “Serena, through her extreme repulsion, presented it in an unusual and contrary manner. Martin thought nothing of me. I was occasionally useful, but my place in the universe was well established. He frequently reminded me of it.”
“You may never receive respect from him.”
“I may not. I’m just a thing, neither male nor female. The genitalia that I once thought removed as punishment were never present. Everything believed about myself was mental programming.”
“I always thought they were internal,” muttered Evelyn to herself. She watched as he removed and opened another series of panels. The commandos arrived with a fresh load of scrap, and decontamination bots descended upon the liberated metal like hungry scavengers. “That doesn’t change you in my eyes.”
He released a deep breath. “I was never human. It is a bit of a relief.”
“How do you say?”
“Too many people lack the fundamentals of moral character. I can honestly say I share no genetic connection with them.”
Two hours brought a generous load of scrap, which the commandos quickly recovered and stored, and additional weapons and ammo were secured to supply the new ASPs.
Helen returned from a fruitless search. “Nothing of consequence,” she said in frustration. “I stole past grundluns to make entry into the auxiliary buildings and still didn’t know what to look for. The palace is the best place to look, but it’s surrounded by major grundlun webs. I am not tackling them.”
Arturo grimaced. “Would our new guests know?”
“Maybe,” said Malik. “Britton had a number of items that I delivered. One of them may qualify.”
“That means passing the spiders.”
Malik cocked his head and squinted at him. “Maybe something will strike a chord within her.”
Pathfinder rose into the air and broke Catricel’s grasp. Malik was moving to disassemble the second ASP when two familiar spiders appeared at the starboard bulkhead. Evelyn drew in a deep breath, Helen’s eyes grew to saucers, and the commandos stopped their work to observe. Malik studied the visitors in surprise, mentally communicating with them until understanding came. Arturo approached.
Malik smiled then released a relieved chuckle. “We may have just received the luck we need.”
“How so?” asked the man.
“These jumpers want help in finding Salient,” he replied, the fresh appearance of wonder showing on his maw. “Maybe they’ll help us recover Selena.”
10: Rescue
Day 681: Pathfinder, Bedele
James, Makaha, and Liola returned the next week, and preparations for the operation at Bedele continued for an additional week. Days before they would strike, Helen and three of the commandos moved to a cloaked campsite near the slaver’s facility on Bedele. Liola and the remaining commandos flew to the planet’s surface in the Rumbler the next evening, while Pathfinder descended to join them to wait beyond the facility’s bounds. A table of medical equipment had been arranged in the passage for the new passengers, and Evelyn checked it to be certain she had the item
s she needed.
She walked to Malik to examine his new gear. A harness secured two large cannons to his flanks, and heavy blasters were mounted on his head beneath his jaws. Drums of extra ammo accompanied the first weapons, while mounted power packs provided power for the entire assembly. Everything was coated with a material that would disappear when he did, but if he became engaged into battle, no amount of cloak could hide the heat and expended energy.
“I thought you looked scary before,” she said, checking the clasps. “Now you’re a nightmare.”
He tested his flexibility. “Hopefully these won’t be necessary. Helen and the commandos performed considerable preliminary work, and my role should be restricted to surveillance.”
“And they found four additional women. Figured we’d need the spare bunks.”
“You’d already made one.” Malik glanced at her and scowled. “Thanks to your foresight. Stop encouraging additional visitors.”
Evelyn shrugged and smiled. “Well, beyond all imaginings, we’re ready. Bring ‘em on.” She patted his shoulder. “Wish I was going down there. James does, too. Make sure everyone returns.”
“Will do.” After concluding the harness would be uncomfortable regardless of their efforts, he strode to the forward hatch. “The peace is over.”
She made a snort. “You call the last two weeks ‘peace’? Just get them here alive. I’ll keep them that way.”
Pathfinder stopped its descent three hundred meters above a quiet neighborhood west of the target. The ASPs peeled off from the ship’s flanks and beelined to the weak section of the facility’s shielding, while Malik waited on the ship for the Rumbler. When it arrived, he rode the craft to the northern dormitory’s roof, took position, and remotely guided the hovercraft to a station point. He signaled his readiness through his comm.
The commandos had thought it foolish to perform a head-on assault. After having walked Bedele Creative’s hallways numerous times during the previous days, gaining entry again was a breeze; they situated themselves in predetermined start positions inside. Once Malik provided them an overview of the building’s occupants and their locations, the operation began.
The first-floor guards were disabled, building surveillance was compromised, and projectors were brought to produce images of guards on rounds. Li and Borislav moved to the second-floor dormitories, Bomani and Arturo advanced to the third floors, and Makaha positioned himself at the infirmary. Liola hurried to the computer center. Once the security bots were neutralized, the primary mission was begun.
They knew their targets’ precise locations were known; Malik provided confirmation.
Li and Arturo entered the northern dormitories to free the resident slaves, and Bomani and Borislav exited their dormitories to monitor the main corridors. The first two commandos’ tasks were easy—every occupied room had been previously accessed to remove the sleeping women’s implants. The commandos relaxed their cloaks to access the rooms.
Confusion reigned within the awakened sleepers, who were initially fearful and hesitant. The women longest in the facility were blindly compliant, those with the least time followed with an eagerness to escape, and the initiates midway through the process cooperated through indecision. When the northern wings were cleared, the southern wings were accessed. The Rumbler approached and landed outside the rear entrance, waiting for the first batch of initiates.
Helen moved to the front offices and entered the director’s office to recover the network taps applied days earlier. She lacked access permissions, but the director possessed them; when he sat down to work, his authorization was pilfered to open access to the servers, and the contained information was steadily downloaded during every access. The transfers were a mystery to facility computer personnel, which was why one of those employees was currently onsite. Liola had knocked out that particular individual and recovered information available only through his credentials.
When she exited the computer office, the Rumbler was waiting with four slaves. She knew it was time to depart, and no words were exchanged. After boarding, the hovercraft cloaked and departed for the ship.
***
On Pathfinder, Evelyn waited expectantly.
James delivered notice of the hovercraft’s arrival, and shortly thereafter the entry passage darkened. When the lights returned, the Rumbler was revealed. Every door opened, and Liola quickly exited, hustling befuddled women from the craft. Evelyn hurried over, helping to empty the vehicle and encourage the women away.
“How is it going?”
“Smoothly.” Liola, leaned into the hovercraft to prep it for departure. “And quiet. Helen and the commandos did excellent advance groundwork, but we have five more loads. Add two more trips to retrieve our people, and you have more than forty minutes of resident time. That’s assuming six-minute turnarounds.”
She secured the Rumbler’s doors and remotely turned it to depart. “James,” she said through her comm. “It’s ready to go.”
The passage darkened, and she moved to assist Evelyn, who was checking and removing implants from the newcomers.
“What’s going on?” asked a woman at the end of the line, later known as Violet Berry. “What are we doing here?”
Evelyn was preoccupied with a light-brown-haired woman, and Liola eased to the questioner. “We’re rescuing you.”
“To go where?” asked a woman with dark skin, hair, and eyes.
“Hopefully home,” said Liola, her thoughts elsewhere. “Or wherever you want to go. Anywhere but to be some man’s plaything.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Too bad.” Liola glanced at Evelyn. “Ready?”
Evelyn nodded and motioned to the first woman.
Liola approached the woman Evelyn released. “Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
“Are you in charge?” Violet asked Evelyn. “I want to know what’s going on.”
“It isn’t that difficult. Wait your turn.”
Liola escorted the next woman upstairs, and the concerned woman held her tongue with difficulty. The third woman was being escorted to her bunk when James announced the incoming Rumbler.
“Six minutes,” called Liola from above. She returned in time to the see the passage darken. “They’re at least accepting their bunks.”
“They’re confused.”
Evelyn and Liola hurried to empty the hovercraft. After the woman were freed from the Rumbler’s confines, Liola moved to the craft’s rear storage area. A pack of devices was removed from the compartment and a nearby empty pack was set in its place. Final checks were completed, the craft was rotated, and the area was cleared.
“Helen tapped every front office terminal,” said Liola, emptying the pack near the wall. “The slavers may have had secrets in the past, but they won’t anymore.”
The passage darkened. The Rumbler was soon away.
“Will I discover who abducted me?” asked the inquisitive, eager Violet.
“I don’t know,” replied Evelyn, motioning a fair-skinned, black-haired woman forward. “We might.”
When Liola moved again to escort Violet, the woman pulled away. “Can I wait down here?”
Evelyn shrugged and nodded.
Violet paced. Three additional women were escorted to their bunks before a new batch of slaves, otherwise known as initiates, arrived. The new women were fished from the hovercraft, packs were exchanged, and the craft was rotated.
“Six minutes,” said Liola when the Rumbler was plunged into darkness. “That’s too long.”
“I don’t understand,” said Violet. “Why?”
“The longer it takes, the greater the chance someone dies.”
Three women cleared Evelyn’s screening before five arrived to replace them.
“An alarm got raised,” said Liola, hurrying to the hovercraft.
“Nine more to go,” said Evelyn with a grimace.
Liola’s eyes flashed. “I’m warning you. If shooting starts, I’m going back.”<
br />
The hovercraft’s turnaround was expedited with a minute’s improvement.
“This will make me crazy,” said Evelyn, staring at the darkened space. A fresh lot of women arrived to join the many others in the queue.
“More security has been dispatched to investigate the latest missing guards,” said Liola, pulling the new women from the hovercraft. “This is going to be close. At least Helen got the data taps.”
“But will we get our people?”
Liola made a snort. “They’re commandos and an agent. They’ll get out.”
Three more women were processed. The first, Sofia Morris, was newer to the facility and stayed to wait with Violet, while the rest lay above to their bunks. Arturo returned with and assisted in the brisk removal of the final women.
“Reinforcements were incoming,” he said, preparing the Rumbler for departure. “Malik used one of the ASPs to scare them, and now they’re waiting for military reinforcements.”
“Time?” asked Liola, worried.
“Ten minutes, maybe. They’ll arrive with considerable force.”
She scowled. “Leaving Malik as the final trip.”
Arturo shook his head. “He’s next.”
Four more fresh faces made the walk to their bunks before the empty Rumbler returned. Arturo hurried to close down the craft as Malik followed close behind, having been deposited on Pathfinder’s sensor pylon before crawling into the forward entry. His presence made a noticeable impact on the waiting women; whereas they responded positively to Arturo’s masculinity, their eyes were glued to Malik.
“The alpha male,” said Evelyn, noticing and grinning. “Must be all that juicy, battle-gear sweat.”
Malik glared at her in annoyance then let his gaze touch them. “The rest of the crew is staying at the base camp. How many of our new guests indicated recent admission?”
Liola motioned to the two waiting women, a conniving smile plastered to her face. “These and two upstairs.”
“And two of the waiting in line are newer,” he replied. He began unbuckling clasps. “We’ve missed two.”
Arturo frowned. “We got them all. We’re certain.”
