by Dennis Young
“That’s a lot of floors to cover,” said Mac, “but with deep radar, we can at least avoid strong points.”
“And create some havoc,” added Rory. “Feint and run, then flank them.”
“Numbers?” Talice watched the faces round, seeing no real concern, just attention. That pleased her greatly.
“With the Marines still on the attack, I’d say fifty to seventy in those three buildings. Assuming the targets are there, a third of those will be bodyguards and other security.”
“Regarding the Marines,” said Mac, “they’ve been at this for nearly a day. Nemesis Corp may be getting suspicious as to why they don’t just overrun the place. We need to move quickly.”
Talice nodded, then looked to Martin, standing beside Nikolay and Bělinka. “You’re going in with the team, Martin. You’re on Team Two, I’m on TacOps with Mac.”
Martin gave a nod and a wave.
Abie touched a finger to her earpiece and held up her hand. “Captain, new info.” She turned to Jamal. “Check it out and send it to the screen.”
Jamal exited as the team traded looks around the table and began to talk.
Talice cleared her throat noisily and looked to Briggs. “What else, Harrison? Are the ATV’s refueled and ready to head back out?”
He nodded to Junior in the corner. “In process when Mac called the meeting and said you’d woke up from your beauty sleep. I see it didn’t do much good.”
Now there were guffaws around the table, and Talice could only shake her head and smile. “For that, you can head up the refueling and cleanup detail.”
Abie touched her earpiece again. “Captain, screen.”
The screen lit with pictures of the icy plain, refocused, then zoomed in. “From one of the drones,” said Abie. “That’s a relief column headed for the compound.”
The room grew quiet very quickly. Everyone studied the images for a few moments in silence.
“Okay, it looks like about twenty vehicles, ten troop carriers all armed, and the rest scouts and flanking cover.” Talice motioned to Briggs, and he slid his light-pointer to her. “Probably loaded to the top with ammo and reinforcements, say a hundred soldiers and supplies.” She looked to Briggs and Mac, both of whom nodded. “Distance, Abie?”
“Jamal says they’re about four hours out. It’s getting dark, but why would they stop?”
“Good point. How fast can you get Bird One ready to lift?”
“Fifteen minutes, tops.”
“Does anyone see air cover?” Talice looked around the table at a bevy of shaking heads. “So we can knock them out from the air.”
“Or…” Mac raised her hand for quiet.
“Go ahead, Mac.”
“Use it for cover into the compound? If we take the convoy out, they’ll know we’re here.”
More low talk around the table as Talice considered. She nodded at the last. “Good point. In the dark, we could possibly take over a couple of those outriggers, assuming we could catch them.”
“Or just blend in,” said Rory. Nods around, this time.
Talice grinned. “I like it. Let’s talk about that.”
* * *
Talice returned to her hammock and locker after the briefing. Someone had cleaned her HCS, changed the batteries, and refilled the reservoirs. A note was pinned on one gauntlet: You’re welcome. Talice smiled and sat on a crate nearby.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, how she would do it, or even why. For one of the few times in her life, she was uncertain of what the future would bring, and how she would go on. Or even if she could.
I’m exhausted. My brain feels like it’s turning to mush. Hell, maybe it is.
Footsteps approached, and Evans appeared from upship. “You look like someone with a lot on your mind.”
Oh, really? What was your first clue? “I’m trying to get a bit of rest before the team goes out again, Mr. Evans. Tell me what you need so I can close my eyes for a little while.”
“You’re going about this wrong.”
Talice chuckled. “Famous last words.”
“Seriously, using this convoy for cover is stupid.”
Talice waited for Evans to continue, but he remained silent. “So you’re a strategist now? Why didn’t you speak up in the meeting? And a convoy in the dark is very easy to blend into, based on the experience I’ve had.”
“And exactly how do you propose to do that? Your vehicles aren’t the same as the ones in the convoy.”
Talice shook her head. “As I said at the meeting, we’ll improvise depending on the situation and conditions. Draw off a couple, overtake a couple, whatever. We can do this, because it’s what we’re trained to do. It’s classic infiltration technique.”
Evans considered for a moment. “There’s another way.”
“… I’m listening.”
“Let me go ahead and get inside. I still have my Nemesis Corp ID and papers.”
Talice drew a slow breath. “That’s an interesting offer. And you bring it up at the last minute, so I won’t have too much time to think about it. Clever.”
“Too much time to think is what nearly got me caught. But if I’m willing to risk it, are you?”
Talice glanced at her chrono. “You would have about an hour to spare. Is that enough time to get inside and secure entry? How are you going to do that?”
Evans shrugged. “Like you said… improvise. Unlocking a gate isn’t that difficult if the guards don’t know about it.”
Talice thought about it, then slowly shook her head. “I think we’ll keep it as planned. The team will infiltrate and commandeer one or more of the convoy vehicles.” Besides, I still don’t trust you.
“Come on, Captain, be reasonable.”
“I am being reasonable. You’re here as an instructor and observer. Also, to act as backup on TacOps if necessary. You’re not a member of my team, and before we rescued you, I didn’t know you from Adam, whoever the hell he was. This mission is under the jurisdiction of the Marines. They’re paying, so we do this by the Book.”
Evans showed honest disappointment. “I’m looking for a chance to prove myself again.”
Talice raised her face, then nodded. “I can understand that. After my little situation in the ice a few hours ago, I’m in the same position. So why don’t you and I work together with Mac and make sure this operation goes smoothly?” She paused, thinking. “Is there anything in your papers or ID we might use for one of the team, just in case? Maybe once they get inside.”
Evans looked away, considering. “We might be able to alter the facial recognition pattern enough to get by, but it likely wouldn’t stand under scrutiny.”
“Why don’t you work on that as quickly as you can. They’re headed out within the hour.”
He nodded, then met Talice’s gaze. “Alright. It’s not a bad idea. I’ll have something for you in the next thirty minutes.”
“Thanks. In the meantime, I’ve got a couple of things I need to do as well. We’ll meet here in the deployment area when the team is ready to leave.”
Evans nodded again and headed upship. Once he was gone, Talice withdrew her special wristcom. Abie, I need Jamal to scan for any unauthorized comm from within the ship. We may have a bug. Talice.
The reply came back a moment later. Copy. All clear at this time. Will advise. Abie.
Talice leaned her head against the hull. Please don’t make him a double-agent. I’m too damn tired to kill him.
* * *
The team assembled and headed out. Talice and Mac watched from the ramp, shivering in the cold. Abie had activated the weather screen to keep the freezing temperatures out of the ship, even though the tech was an energy hog. “No problem,” she’d said, “we’ll just lift off and fly a few laps around the planet to recharge.” Then laughed and disappeared into the cockpit once again.
Talice laid a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “Dammit…”
“We’ll watch over them like angels. Let’s get the othe
r drones in the air.” Mac turned her chair and headed back upship.
Talice followed, pausing as Evans headed for his cabin. He had waited behind the weather screen, uninterested in braving the cold. “Thanks for the quick work on the IDs. At least we’ve got something if we need it.”
He nodded. “What’s next?”
“Monitor and advise. Keep them safe as we can from here. You’re welcome to help.”
“Actually, while they’re enroute, I’m catching a quick nap. Let me know when they’re on-station.” He closed the cabin door.
Talice rounded the corner, slipped into her TacOps chair, and pulled out her special wristcom again. Abie, just a reminder, watch for comm from inside the ship. I know my cabin is shielded, but do what you can. I’m leery of Evans. Talice.
A scroll appeared a moment later. Don’t worry. Jamal has a tap in place. Abie.
Talice donned her headset and punched up the comm to Briggs. “Comm test, acknowledge.”
“Here. Circling to the south as planned, around the hills. No lights, running silent and on infrared only.”
“Copy. You have about thirty minutes to initial contact and another hour to infiltrate. Overtake or lure and substitute at your discretion. After that, you’re thirty more minutes from the compound.”
“Copy. Going silent, will advise when we’re ready to join the party.”
Talice sat back, waiting. There was little for her to do until the team was in place, trailing the convoy. At that point, Briggs would decide what was best; either simply follow closely, making sure the ATVs blended carefully into the column, or lure one or two off the trail and commandeer. She guessed he would take the former, as it was safest. She’d done this; it was not as hard as some thought, to simply blend in under the cover of darkness, if done gently. Like a knife, slid between the ribs slowly. She shivered at the thought.
Mac touched her arm. “You okay? You’re shaking again.”
Talice shrugged. “Scared to death for them. When I’m out there, it’s different. I don’t know how you’ve done this for so long.”
“Like any other part of the job. You just do it.”
“I’m just a Grunt. Always will be. I was happiest when I was wallowing in the dirt, waiting for the bullets to start flying, hearing you yell orders.”
“This is your team. They know their jobs.”
Talice nodded reluctantly, then leaned back in the seat. “I’m gonna close my eyes for a bit. Still pretty wasted. Fucking bugs…”
“Go ahead, I’ll monitor. We’re clear for at least thirty minutes.”
Talice leaned closer to Mac. “Evans is in my cabin, probably sulking. Orlando is monitoring for any rogue comm from within the ship. He’s planted a bug to get through the shielding, just in case.”
Mac looked at her sternly. “You really suspect him?”
“Damn, Mac, he almost insisted on being part of the team, tried to get me to let him go ahead for us and said he could open the gates.”
“That would be great. Why did you stop him?”
Talice huffed. “Classic paranoia. No, not really. Gut feeling.”
Mac studied Talice’s face for a long moment. “Fawkes told me to keep an eye on him, too. But you didn’t hear me say that.”
Talice frowned. “It seems you and the major had a few secrets of your own.”
“Colonel. And not because of you, but the mission. Evans was out for a long time, deep cover. That does stuff to your mind. He’s with us because we needed him, and Fawkes figured we could handle him better if something came up, rather than putting him where he could really do damage. Like intel.”
“So Evans could just kill all of us and no worries? Remind me to tell Fawkes what I think of that idea next time I see him.”
Mac shook her head. “You’re not understanding. Fawkes gave us this mission because they want the leaders taken out. A full assault by the Marines might level the place, but it wouldn’t guarantee that. He trusts us, Talice. He trusts you. He knows we’re the best.”
Talice looked away for a long moment. “Still… if we lose one member of this team, it’s on Fawkes’s head.”
“We all signed on with eyes wide open, Princess.”
Talice sighed. “That’s for damned sure. Okay, give me a few minutes for a power nap. Then we’ll do our jobs and go home. Right?” She closed her eyes and sighed. She was asleep before Mac could even answer.
* * *
“Talice!”
Talice woke with a start. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then looked at Mac. “What?”
Mac shook her head. “Dreaming? Anyway, time to wake up. The team is on-station.”
“You didn’t call my name?”
Mac looked at her again. “Go wash your face and get moving. Showtime.”
Talice rose stiffly and headed for the infirmary. She entered, went to the sink, and splashed cold water on her hands and face. She glanced in the mirror. Now that’s a pretty hairdo if I ever saw one. She chuckled sardonically and brushed bangs out of her eyes.
“Talice!”
She whirled, looking round, then realized the voice was coming from the wireless headset she still wore. What the fuck?
She touched the microphone control. “Who’s this?”
“Konee! We need to talk!”
Holy shit! Talice walked slowly to the door and locked it. She looked out the window, seeing no one in the corridor, then stepped behind a bed curtain. “I’m listening.”
A heavy sigh. “I was afraid you wouldn’t answer. Look, I know you aren’t gonna believe me, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Mikal isn’t a bad guy. He’s infiltrated Nemesis Corp for over a year. If the Marines kill him, they’ll never know if the bosses were eliminated.”
Talice kept her voice calm as she could. “So suave Mikal is an undercover agent? For whom? And why should I believe you after the little stunt you pulled on the metrolink?”
“I can’t tell you that. Or give you a reason to believe me. Yeah, that was stupid, and I told Jance it wouldn’t work. We should have approached you more casually.”
“You mean like you did at the café? Dammit, Konee, you’d been stalking me for… I don’t know how long!”
Talice’s secret wristcom buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket. Talice, we’re picking up unauthorized comm coming in. Abie.
Shit! She typed frantically. I’m on it, will advise. Talice.
“Look, I know you can probably trace this, so confirm my location. But hurry.” Konee.
Talice typed again. Track it and tell me where it’s coming from! Quick! Talice.
“What do you want, Konee?” What game are you playing now?
“No lies, I swear! We were teammates, Talice, you were my OIC! But things are… just going nuts. Mikal needs to get out before he’s killed.”
Talice dithered, waiting for Abie to confirm the transmission. “Who’s going to kill him? I mean, other than the Marines knocking on the door? And how do you know this?”
Another sigh. “It’s… Jance… she’s gone rogue.”
Ah, now we make someone else the bad guy. I’ve seen this vid. “I don’t know what you mean. Jance is gonna kill him? Why? What the hell is going on?”
“There was another guy here, but I don’t know what happened to him. He and Mikal spent time together, a lot. At first Jance and I… well, we thought they were getting together.”
“Oh, like you and Jance and Mikal were getting together?”
Silence stretched on the line for a long moment. “Yes… but we were wrong. And Jance…”
“Let me tidy this up. You and Jance got jealous, right?”
“Not… exactly. Jance wanted to find out if the guy was straight, so she… went to bed with him. Then, I don’t know, she got interested in something he was involved in, or maybe she just liked the variety. All I know is, the guy disappeared and now she’s… nutty.”
A message popped up on Talice’s special wristcom. Confirmed. Coming from target com
pound, second floor, building C. Secure circuit. Abie.
Holy fuck, she’s got comm from the building on a private line! thought Talice.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re doing on Eos, if you’re working for Fawkes, or an advisor of some sort. It doesn’t matter. We’re getting our butts kicked and I want out. I’m scared.”
“Does it matter why I’m here?” She doesn’t know the team is here? That’s good. If it’s true.
“Not really, no. But I don’t know what to do now. Mikal is in a panic and wants out, but if he tries to leave, they’ll kill him for sure. Jance is playing her covert-ops thing, almost stalking him. Maybe something this other guy told her made her suspicious of Mikal. Hell, maybe Mikal has really gone over to the bad guys. Maybe they both have.” Konee sobbed.
How the hell did you two get mixed up in this? Never mind. Talice swallowed hard. “Alright, I understand what you’re saying. I’ve got to talk with… some people before I can offer anything. I’ve got your contact info. I’ll get back to you.”
“Okay, but please, don’t take too long. The leaders here are about ready to start killing people, to find out where the leak came from.”
Talice closed her eyes and nodded. “I’ll do what I can. Keep yourself safe.”
“I will. Thanks.” The line went dead.
Talice pressed the close button. And if this is all on the level, I’ll bet you’re peeing your pants about now. And I’m beginning to realize who this “other guy” was. Mr. Evans and I are gonna have a talk, very soon.
Talice sat on the edge of the bed. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was beating like a tin drum. Her vision narrowed, her head throbbed.
Fucking Evans. He’s the guy Konee’s talking about. I’ll bet my last credit-mark on it. And he never bothered to tell us that little detail!
She quietly unlocked the door and slid into the corridor. She headed downship, to her hammock and locker. She palmed the lock, withdrew her sidearm, and strapped it on. She checked the charge, seeing it was full, and slipped off the safety, then holstered the gun.
