The Battle of Hollow Jimmy

by Becky Black

  Unless he did something about it.

  ~o~

  Alex strode through the corridors to the Watch HQ, a grim frown on his face. How did he do this? Just walk in there and shoot all the Watch members? He had no stomach for killing close up. Starship officers killed at a distance. He probably couldn't take them all down before they stopped him anyway.

  His communicator sounded and he glanced at it. If it was the captain she could go… It wasn't the captain. It had no identification code. Baffled, he answered the hail.

  "Who is this?"

  "Lieutenant," a man's voice said. "Please listen to me carefully."

  "Who are you?" Alex demanded.

  "A friend. You're coming up on an empty room on your left. I'll open the door."

  "What?"

  A door to his left slid open and Alex flinched back, drawing his gun. Lights came on in the room.

  "Please step inside, so we can talk in private."

  Alex hesitated, not prepared to trust this mysterious, door-opening voice.

  "How can you see me?" he asked.

  "Please, there's no time to waste. If you go inside, I'll tell you where Sev is."

  "What?" A couple of Watchmen, on patrol came up the corridor. They nodded to Alex.

  "Do you need any assistance, sir?"

  "No. Carry on."

  They moved off and Alex watched them go then spoke into the communicator again.

  "What do you know about Sev?"

  "Go into the room."

  Alex gave in to the voice. Still cautious though, he cased the room before he stepped inside. The door slid closed behind him. Two more doors led off from this room. He checked those out, finding a bedroom and bathroom. All the rooms were empty.

  "Okay, I'm in here. Now who are you? What do you know about Sev?"

  "He's off the station." The voice came out of the air now, from the room's speakers, not his communicator. "Maiga sent him to do a job for her."

  "What job?"

  "She wouldn't tell me."

  Alex grimaced. That wasn't much good to him. Who the hell was this man? How could he tap into comms, open doors, see Alex over the station's surveillance system?

  "She did tell me that you are an ally though; ready to help us against Bara."

  Alex didn't answer at once, fearing a trick. But the voice went on anyway.

  "We've set up a few things around the station to help. You're quite close to one of them now. Check your communicator, it will direct you to some equipment that will help you free Maiga and the others. Once that's done, she'll give the orders."

  "I keep asking, and you haven't answered me. Who are you?"

  The man laughed. "You can call me Jimmy."

  "Jimmy? Like the station? What the hell? Look, can't you tell me anything else about Sev?"

  No answer.

  "Hello?"

  Still no answer. Alex sighed and checked his communicator. A room number showed up on the screen, and a floor plan. Just a couple of corridors over. He decided he might as well check out what this "Jimmy" had waiting for him.

  Strange, how working for one lunatic for so long had left him prepared to accept the instructions of someone who sounded quite as mad.

  ~o~

  "Maiga." Jaff said. "Something's shaking."

  Maiga joined him by the door, to see Alex had come in.

  "The captain wants the prisoners transferred to station security's holding cells," Alex said. "Right away."

  "I'd suggest moving them in small groups, sir," the officer in charge said.

  "Of course."

  Alex walked over to the cell. He wore a determined look. Game on, Maiga thought.

  "Now," Alex said. The guards beside the cell looked at each other, baffled. Now what? But Alex wasn't talking to them. The force field dropped and the guards gasped and sprang forward, but too late. Alex stepped into the cell, throwing a small dark cylinder back over his shoulder as he did. The force field came up again.

  "Grenade!"

  Someone yelled it and the prisoners in the cell ducked, along with the Watchmen outside. Only Alex remained standing. The grenade went off, belching out not an explosion, but gas, that expanded fast, filling the room. Maiga glanced up at the vents, fearing the gas would seep through them, but Gry must have sealed them.

  After a moment of coughing and staggering around, everyone in the room outside fell down, and lay unmoving.

  "Flush the gas," Alex said, speaking to the air--no, to Gry, Maiga realised.

  "Wait a second," Jaff said, standing up, and helping Wixa to her feet. "You mean Gry could have dropped the force field any time?"

  "Of course," Maiga said. "But then we'd have had to get past that lot out there."

  "Like that would be a problem." Jaff grinned. "Remember us in Dav's?"

  "These ones have guns."

  Behind Alex the force field dropped again, the gas all flushed from the room. The air felt cold as the prisoners left their cell. The doctors at once started checking over the people on the floor.

  "They'll only be out for about fifteen minutes," Maiga said, then stopped as someone pushed her out of the way from behind, and the various gangsters shoved their way out of the cell and headed for the door.

  "Hey!" Wixa yelled. "You ungrateful bastards! You could help out you know. It's your station too."

  "Sorry," Etta, the one woman among them said. "Gotta look out for number one now."

  "Bitch," Wixa muttered as Etta left.

  "Forget it," Maiga said. "We don't need them; we have our teams and our plans."

  "If you're taking the station back. You'd better be damn quick about it," Alex said. "The Big Four are massing ships. If Bara retains control they'll break the treaty and attack this place."

  "They haven't broken it yet though?" Maiga said. "Haven't entered the sector?"

  "Not yet."

  "Gry," Maiga called up. "Are you monitoring the long range sensors?"

  "Naturally." His voice came from hidden speakers. "I'll let you know the moment they cross the border."

  "Gry?" Alex said, looking puzzled. "So why did he ask me to call him Jimmy?"

  "Gry asked you to call him Jimmy?" Wixa said, an alarmed look crossing her face. "Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear."

  "What if they do cross the border?" Chervaz asked, bigger fish to fry than Gry's strangeness. "I mean even if we take the station back before then, I can't see them just turning around and going home."

  "Yeah, come all that way, gonna want to shoot something," Jaff said, passing by dragging a Watchmen towards the cell.

  Maiga smiled, "In that case, I'm relying on Sev to have good timing."

  "Are you going to tell me where he is?" Alex asked.

  "Safe," Maiga said and Alex threw up his hands in frustration.

  "People keep saying that. They'd better be right."

  Maiga turned away from him and surveyed the room. All the Watchmen were locked in the cell, the force field back in place. They'd be fine, till they woke up. Then they'd be pissed off. Maiga's allies, her friends and the lifers stood waiting for her orders.

  "Doctors," Maiga said. "You go to your clinic. Use the routes Gry sends you on. I'll send guards down when we release the rest of our teams. I hope there won't be too many casualties for you to deal with."

  "I hope you're right," Sheni said. "Come on, you two." She led Lon and Anishk away. Gry's instructions would keep them from being picked up by Watch patrols before they made it to the clinic.

  "You have your assignments," Maiga said to the others. "Pick up the other members of your teams and get into position to take the key facilities. Alex, I want to take advantage of your being trusted by the other side for as long as possible. Take some Watch badges and use them to take station security."

  Only one facility counted as more key than that. And that one was her own assignment.

  Chapter 42

  "Ever get the feeling you're not being told everything?" Jaff said, as he and Wixa moved down a
dim corridor.

  "Not often," Wixa said with a shrug.

  "But now?"

  "Maybe." Wixa said it with reluctance, never happy to admit to being in the dark.

  "Maiga's got some kind of secret plan hasn't she?"

  "I think so."

  "Any idea what?"

  "Well, if I knew then it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" Wixa felt a surge of irritation. Maiga certainly had something up her sleeve, but she wasn't giving it away. "Will you stop asking stupid questions? I'm trying to concentrate."

  She frowned down at her Snapper, showing the safe route Gry was sending them on, to free the team of Lifers who would help them take the control room of the station's defences. Economic sanctions might be its primary defence, but it wasn't entirely toothless when the chips were down and the shooting started.

  "This way. We're close to--what the hell!"

  She jumped back as a door opened ahead of them and two Watch officers came out, a man and a woman. Wixa cursed silently as the two officers saw her and Jaff and shouted for them to stop. She'd seen the life signs on her Snapper, but dismissed them as just more curfew-bound residents, like the others in the many living quarters along this corridor. Wixa glanced at Jaff and muttered.

  "Play dumb. That shouldn't be a big stretch."

  Jaff opened his mouth to snap back at her, but the officers reached them and he shut it again.

  "What are you doing out of your quarters?" The man demanded. "Didn't you hear the curfew announcement?"

  "Oh, but my mother wasn't feeling well," Jaff said, all dumb innocence. "I was taking her to the doctor."

  Mother? Wixa made a note to make him pay for that later. What's wrong with wife? The two officers looking somewhat baffled, but rallied.

  "Well you can't just now," the man said. "Give me some ID."

  "But she really isn't feeling well," Jaff protested. Wixa made some convincing moaning noises and leaned on him heavily. Come a little closer, she thought, feeling the weight of her handgun concealed in a holster on the back of her belt.

  "We'll have a doctor sent to her quarters," the woman officer said. "Show some ID now."

  Their ID would be flagged and get them captured again at once. And the bastards wouldn't come close enough. Try to jump them from this distance and Wixa and Jaff would be shot down before they could lay a hand on them.

  "Oh, ID, right." Jaff stalled, fishing around in his pockets, bringing out various bits of junk and mysterious widgets. "I've got it here someplace." Wixa hoped one of the officers would get impatient and step closer to frisk him.

  "Hurry--"

  A dark shape materialised out of the shadows behind the two Watch officers. A fluid movement and the male officer flopped to the floor. His female companion started to turn and the figure's movement became fast, one hand snapping out, sending the gun flying, the other chopping across the woman's neck sending her to join her colleague on the floor.

  It took no more than five seconds.

  Wixa and Jaff looked up from the unconscious pair on the floor to the female figure clad all in form-fitting black, including a hood and mask hiding the face. The form-fitting garment actually fitted a little too tightly, straining at the hips. The figure removed her mask.

  "Jasini!" Wixa gasped. They'd included her in their plans, as a general friendly, and Maiga had tried to give her a specific assignment, but Jasini had just said she'd rather improvise. Maiga had looked at her oddly, but shrugged and agreed. Wixa grinned. The right choice. "Just like the old days, eh?"

  "Please, there's no time," Jasini said, sternly. She bent over the fallen Watch officers and pressed a spray injector to their necks. "That will keep them out for hours. I'll conceal them, you two get on with whatever you're meant to be doing." She stood up and put on her mask again. "By the way, you both owe this month's subs for the cat club, and your share of the tea fund."

  "Er, do you want it now?" Jaff asked, looking nervous.

  "Oh, get out of here." Jasini bent to drag off one of the Watch officers. Wixa grabbed Jaff's arm and pulled him away.

  "I'd heard she was ex-black ops," Jaff said, glancing back over his shoulder as they reached the end of the corridor. Jasini had vanished along with the unconscious Watch officers. "But seeing that… well, I'm telling you right now, I'll never be late with my cat club subscription again."

  ~o~

  Alex had had enough of sneaking around.

  He walked into station security with a squad of fake Watchmen at his back and sent them to work. A battle instantly ensued, but Alex himself went straight for the chief's office.

  Alarms were ringing; Maiga's people were attacking the station's control facilities, taking them back from Bara's people. Lifers versus drifties coming to a head at last.

  Alex had his money on the lifers.

  His blood was up, adrenaline surging, so he grinned with delight when he stepped into the office to find Max sitting behind the desk. Oh, good. I'm going to enjoy this.

  "What's going on?" Max demanded, as Alex walked in. "My monitors have gone dark. Give me a report."

  "A report? Well, you're screwed for a start."

  "Screwed?" Max said, eyes narrowing.

  Idiot, Alex thought. The important word in that sentence was you're.

  Max came around the desk. "I don't have time for your crap." He drew his gun, heading for the door, moving to pass Alex.

  He didn't pass Alex. He ran into Alex's fist coming the other way and staggered back, then sat down hard on his backside.

  "What the fuck?" He stared up at Alex, who drew his gun, covering Max. "You treacherous bastard!"

  "Shut up. Toss over your gun."

  "Come and take it."

  The ingrained response. Alex didn't mind, he wanted some exercise. He moved towards Max, but Max lashed out and kicked him in the shin. With a groan, Alex dropped to one knee and Max attacked.

  Both men lost their guns. Neither cared. This had been coming since the moment they met. Well matched in size and strength, they both struggled to gain the advantage, until Max managed to pin Alex, holding his hands down by the wrists.

  "I'm going to give Bara your head," Max snarled. "Mutiny must be in your blood, eh, cocksucker?"

  Alex rammed his knee up hard into Max's crotch. They were too close together to actually get him with the knee cap, but the impact was enough to make him moan and slacken his grip. Alex tore his hands from Max's grip and rammed a fist into Max's nose, then shoved him away hard. Max's slid along the floor, slamming into Neex's desk.

  Alex staggered up, panting. "Like you're not waiting for her chair as soon as you can take it!" He spat the words at Max while he looked around for his gun. But Max was only momentarily stunned and scrambled to his feet to lunge at Alex again. They grappled and staggered around the room. Max got the advantage through Alex's bad luck, something he felt sure he'd got far more than his fair share of. In their struggle they'd scattered the contents of the desk and shelves, and Alex put his foot down on something that slid out from under him, pitching him backwards. He tried to keep his feet and failed. His head smacked against the edge of the desk as he fell and everything went grey and muzzy. Laughing in his triumph, Max dragged Alex up and dumped him face down on the desk. He leaned over, pinning Alex with his body weight.

  "Familiar position, Lieutenant?"

  Alex couldn't answer, too dazed and hurt, but then his eyes widened and he made an inarticulate protest as something came into view. It glinted in the light. A knife. Shit no. No need to kill me, you bastard. You won. Just toss me in a cell. Humans don't kill each other.

  Alex shut his eyes, and saw Sev's face. On that night, the night Bara stood staring into the abyss, Alex and Sev made love for the first time. Really made love, not the fumbles in the dark they'd had when drunk on shore leave. That night they chose a future, now that their past had gone forever. That night they chose to cling to each other, whatever that future held. As the knife touched his throat Alex wanted to die with his mi
nd full of the memory of Sev's hands on his skin.

  Then a scream came, that wasn't his own. The weight of Max pinning him vanished and Alex sucked in a breath he didn't expect to take. He almost slid off the desk, but someone caught his arm as he slipped and heaved him into the chair.

  "Easy," a voice said, a woman's voice. She shoved the chair up against the desk and let him lean on that so he didn't fall over. He managed to focus as she moved away from him and saw Major Jax bending over the semi-conscious Max on the floor. The fabric of Max's uniform was scorched away from his shoulder, the skin badly burnt.

  Jax holstered the pistol she'd shot Max with and produced a set of handcuffs from her pocket.

  "Tool of the trade?" Alex asked, his voice hoarse and shaky.

  Jax scowled at him. "Stop talking, you look awful."

  Once she'd secured Max to a firm fixture on the wall, Jax came back over to Alex, and checked the back of his head where it had struck the desk.

  "You need a doctor," she said and grabbed the first aid kit from a hook on the wall.

  "I'll be fine. Just catch my breath." He felt better for seeing Max chained to a wall and moaning. "I didn't know you were one of Maiga's people."

  "Maiga?" Jax snorted. "Oh, screw her." She threw a glance back at Max. "I just don't like that bastard."

  Chapter 43

  In the ceiling void above the Command and Control Centre, Maiga's team laid down rings of explosive cable. Circles drawn in chalk several days ago by Jaff guided them to the optimal positions. She pulled on her night vision goggles. Gry would give them the advantage of darkness when he cut all power to the room below.

  Chervaz, at her side, looked up from his Snapper. "Message from Gry. The alien fleet has crossed the border. They'll be here in fourteen hours."

  Maiga nodded and looked around at her team as one by one they signalled their readiness. She turned back to Chervaz. He wasn't in the attack, but she wanted him here. As a witness.

  "Message Gry. Standing by and awaiting his signal." Chervaz sent the message, and they waited, goggles on, waiting for the darkness that would be their signal. Come on. Come on, Maiga thought. Time to do it. Let me get at her. She grinned suddenly. She hoped Bara was actually in the office below, or Maiga would look a terrible fool smashing into it to find Bara had gone out.