by R S Penney
A slight change in pitch from the shuttle's humming engine told her they had gone to warp. So…they were committed. The Ganymede installation would certainly pick up the shuttle's warp trail on their scanners, and it wouldn't be hard to deduce their intended destination. Space was vast, with planetary bodies separated by millions – and sometimes billions – of kilometers. It would be clear they were headed for Jupiter.
Anna busied herself with checking her accouterments. Like the others, she wore a pair of black pants and a t-shirt under an armoured vest. Keepers generally preferred light body armour – the better to jump, flip and twirl – and for some reason Ben also favoured mobility over protection. Odd, that.
She had never really seen the man in action; Jack had told her some stories but that was as far as it went. Come to think of it, this was her first mission with Jack by her side since the night they had faced a pair of battle drones in Wesley Pennfield's parking garage. Sometimes she wondered about her best friend.
Jack's initial self-doubt had made sense back in the days when he had carried a symbiont for all of three weeks, but now? The man's successes outnumbered his failures many times over. You'd think that would bolster his self-confidence just a little, but his tendency to question himself remained firmly intact. Not long ago, she had learned of a condition called Impostor Syndrome, a condition where people were unable to recognize their own accomplishments. Perhaps Jack had a touch of this.
She focused on the task at hand. Her pistol was securely holstered on her right hip along with five extra magazines. Grabbing the stun-pen on her belt, she checked to make sure it was fully loaded. A thin cylindrical device about the size of her middle finger: it would inject a needle full of tranquilizer when triggered. Sometimes, it was smarter to sneak up on an enemy and incapacitate him silently instead of resorting to gunfire.
“Coming out of warp,” Jena's voice said over the intercom.
Chewing on his lower lip, Jack studied her with those bright blue eyes. “Looks like it's time to get into costume,” he said, blinking. “You should probably move out of range. I don't want the holographic scanners picking you up.”
A valid point; she did as he asked.
“We're being hailed,” Jena said over the speaker.
Jack made his way over to the wall and began tapping at a small, square-shaped display screen. “This is Grecken Slade,” he said in clipped tones. According to Ben, the program would modify his voice along with his likeness, but Jack did his best impression nonetheless. “I wish to review your progress with the telepath. Will you kindly prepare your SlipGate to receive me?”
A hologram rippled into existence above the table: the transparent image of a man in a pristine blue uniform. A graying beard stretched from ear to ear across his face – a sharp contrast to his dark skin – and his silver hair was combed back. “Your visit is most unexpected, Lord Slade,” he said. “Please transmit your authorization code.”
Anna had to stop herself from breathing out a sigh of relief. Clearly their ruse had worked. The man would not have reacted with such gracious hospitality if he had seen anyone other than Slade. Though when she got a good look at the man, she had to stomp out the urge to speak. That was an Antauran uniform, a Colonel by the marking on his collar and his sleeves. What's more, the man was speaking Leyrian of all things. That must have been a courtesy for Slade. Antaurans usually spoke a language called Raen.
Jack looked at the hologram, arching a thick dark eyebrow. He made no comment, but the unspoken question was obvious. Lord Slade? “I'm afraid we are going to have to step up our timetable. Perhaps you are not aware of this, but I am under investigation. If we do not move quickly, the other Keepers may discover this facility.”
“I see, my Lord,” the man said. “Your code?”
Jack squeezed his eyes shut, heaving out a deep breath as his head sank. “Were you not paying attention?” he asked with just a touch of irritation in his voice. “I am currently under investigation by my own government. My personal files have been locked out, my computer access restricted. I do not have access to that data.”
The Colonel stood there with lips pressed into a thin line, his brows drawn together. “If you don't have computer access,” he began, “then how were you able to steal a shuttle and fly out here?”
Tossing his head back, Jack smiled up at the ceiling. “Are you truly so dense?” he asked, eyebrows rising. “I am the head of the Justice Keepers. Do you honestly believe I would not create safeguards to ensure my escape from any Keeper facility?”
It was a good point, though considering the possibility left Anna's stomach tied up in knots. She had to give her friend some credit; that response would not have occurred to her. Jack's greatest strength was his ability to think on his feet.
The Colonel remained unimpressed.
He crossed his arms with a heavy sigh, bowing his head to Jack. “No…” he replied. “I won't let you set foot inside this base without a valid authorization code. You have ten seconds to leave orbit before I open fire.”
Anna had to fight down her own disappointment. It had been a good plan, but that didn't change the fact that the odds were stacked against them. Now they would have to find some other way to rescue the young telepath. Maybe if they showed this recording to Larani Tal, they could-
Jack turned abruptly, pacing a line in front of the table with hands clasped behind his back. “Have you forgotten whom we work for, Colonel?” he asked in a voice so cold it might have overpowered the life-support systems.
The Colonel turned his head as he let out a shuddering breath. “No, Lord Slade, I have not forgotten,” he insisted. “But the fact remains that standard procedures exist to ensure our-”
“Do you wish to provoke our associates?”
“I…No, my Lord.”
“Then might I suggest that you use your brain and recognize the fact that even the most elaborate security protocols cannot account for every eventuality. The Keepers have access to my personal logs, to my data files. That means it is only a matter of time before they decide to investigate this base.
“The telepath is in danger of being discovered; we must move her to a new facility. I wish to review your progress and begin the evacuation procedure. Now, the way I see it, you have two options. Either authorize your SlipGate to receive incoming travelers, or I will report your incompetence to our mutual associates, and you can deal with them.”
The Colonel shut his eyes, breathing deeply as he considered the issue. “Very well then,” he said with a curt nod. “I'll have an escort meet you in the SlipGate chamber. Standby for further instructions.”
The hologram vanished.
Closing her eyes, Anna paused for a moment to reflect on what had just happened. “What made you think of that?” she asked, approaching the table. “How did you know that Slade was working for someone else?”
“A lucky guess.”
“Seriously?”
Jack sat on the bench next to the table, resting his hands on his knees. He looked as though something had drained the strength right out of him. “Something's been bugging me for months now,” he explained. “How was Slade able to place cronies like Breslan in key positions? That's not the kind of thing you can pull off on your own. You would need the resources of a larger group.”
Anna sat down next to him.
Glancing over her shoulder, she offered a warm smile. “You might just be the best Keeper I've ever worked with,” she said softly. “And if you ask me, it's about damn time you started believing that.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The double doors to the cockpit slid open and Ben came striding through, smiling down at himself as he descended the steps. “That was amazing, bro,” he said. “I didn't think you were gonna pull that off.”
“Well, I got lucky,” Jack said. “Come on. We'd better get into position if we want to be ready when they open up their SlipGate.”
“We're all clear on the plan then?”
Ben asked.
Anna ran through the details in her mind just to be sure. Now that they had gained access to the base, the three of them would attempt a rescue while Jena stayed on board the shuttle to deal with any resistance. It was a good bet the Antaurans would scramble fighters when they realized they had intruders roaming their hallways. Destroying the shuttle would be one way to prevent them from leaving.
Ben was the one stuck with the difficult task of locating and freeing Keli Armana. She and Jack were only there to cause as much mayhem as possible, to keep the security teams off his back. Her task was simple, but far more dangerous. For the next hour or so, she was a walking target and nothing else.
Her pockets were stuffed with several high-yield EM charges that she could use to destroy power conduits. If that didn't attract attention, nothing would. “I'm ready,” Anna said. “Let's get it done.”
Jack stood up with a groan, slipping hands into his back pockets. “Is anyone else gonna mention the fact that we're dealing with Antaurans?” he muttered. “How in God's name did they get a base in our solar system?”
“Slade?” Ben offered.
“Slade,” they all agreed.
They made their way over to the SlipGate where they stood side by side. Jack was on her right, checking the pistol on his hip. Ben, on her left, was already prepared, his weapon held in both hands.
Anna decided it was time she did the same. Drawing her pistol from its holster, she set it to fire stun-rounds and waited patiently. In just a few minutes, they would be smack dab in the middle of a room with who knows how many guards. “You ready?” she asked Jack.
“I'm frantic,” he replied. “So load me up.”
Turning her face up to the ceiling, Anna narrowed her eyes. “Well, here we go,” she said, nodding once. “Remember, when the bubble pops, we let loose, and we do not stop until we're the only ones standing.”
“Get ready,” Jena said over the intercom.
Anna took a deep breath to calm herself. Any second thoughts she might have had vanished when the three of them were surrounded by a field of pulsing energy that blurred her view of the shuttle's cabin.
The bubble lurched forward.
For a moment, it seemed as though they were traveling through an infinitely long, dark tunnel, then they arrived in what was obviously a very large cube-shaped room. A cargo bay most likely.
Through the shimmering curtain, she saw four blurred figures standing behind what appeared to be a control console, all in blue uniforms. The Colonel and his security team? She would find out soon enough.
The bubble popped.
Sure enough, she found herself standing twenty paces away from four men in blue uniforms who stared at her with gaping mouths. Clearly, they had been expecting Slade. Surprise or no surprise, they were quick to react, each man reaching for his sidearm.
Anna lifted her pistol in both hands, squinting as she took aim. “Sorry.” She fired and watched a bullet streak across the room to strike one man in the chest. He spasmed from the burst of electric current, then fell over.
Stun-rounds hit two other men, causing them to flail about before dropping to the floor. That left only the Colonel. He went for the console – no doubt trying to raise an alarm – but a stun-round hit him just below his collarbone. He sank to his knees with one arm outstretched toward them.
Anna closed her eyes, sighing softly with relief. “All right,” she said, nodding to her companions. “We've made it this far. I figure we've got about five minutes before this place goes on full alert.”
“What's our next move?” Jack asked.
Ben stepped forward so that she could only see the back of his head, inspecting the fallen bodies. “You two start looking for power conduits and data lines,” he said. “Do as much damage as you can. I'm headed for the detention area.”
“You know where that is?”
He glanced over his shoulder with irritation visible on his face. “I read Antauran,” he said. “Believe me, I'll be able to find it. Just keep those damn security teams busy. I'd like to get through this with minimal surprises.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let's go.”
Chapter 12
The huge cargo bay doors slid apart to reveal a sterile, white corridor running from left to right on the other side. A quick survey of their surroundings revealed no personnel lurking about, no one to shoot at them or raise an alarm.
There were, however, small dome-shaped protrusions in the ceiling: glossy lenses that monitored the corridor in all directions. Anna shot one and watched it shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. “Take out any camera you see,” she said. “Let's make it harder for them to keep tabs on us.”
Ben stepped through the door and turned left.
Well, since that was his destination, Anna supposed that she and Jack were better off heading right. They ran side by side through the corridor, breathing in a slow, steady rhythm. She had to give her best friend this much credit; whatever self-doubt he might feel, he was able to put it out of his mind when push came to shove.
Not far ahead, another corridor branched off from the wall to their left. The hallway they were currently in stretched on for several hundred paces before ending in another junction, and she saw several more opportunities to turn left in the distance. There were no corridors on her right. That meant she was likely on the edge of the building.
“Wait,” Jack said. “Much as I hate the idea, we should split up. We'll be more of a distraction if we take out multiple systems at the same time.”
Anna looked up at him with lips pursed, blinking slowly. “If you think that's best,” she said, wrinkles lining her brow. “You stick to this corridor. I'll go left and see if I can find a clever place to set those charges.”
“Right.”
He took off at a sprint.
Anna shut her eyes tight, trembling as she drew in a hissing breath. “You trained him well, Lenai,” she said, nodding to herself. “The guy learned how to charge headlong into danger from the best.”
She wasn't bothered by the fact that she was now all alone in the stronghold of her enemies – she had been on dangerous missions before – but a part of her disliked the idea of letting Jack out of her sight. Three and a half years had passed since the day they met, but she still saw him as her protégé. The thought that he might be hurt because she wasn't there to protect him was…painful.
No use standing around; even if no one activated the alarms, it was only a matter of time before some random officer came around the next corner and cried out when he saw a woman in tactical gear.
Anna rounded the corner.
Raising her left forearm, she studied the blank screen on her gauntlet. “Multi-tool active,” she said softly. “Level three scan. Highlight power conduits and fiber optic cable. Holographic display.”
She waved her arm back and forth, allowing the tool to paint colours on the wall with its holographic generators. Thick red lines indicated power conduits while thinner yellow lines represented data ports. Blowing up a few of those would attract someone's attention. Time to get to work.
As the elevator descended from the living quarters to the CIC on the first floor, Major Kyla Nayrok checked her appearance with her pocket mirror. She had been scheduled as off duty this morning, but the sudden arrival of Grecken Slade had forced her to take command while Colonel Elis dealt with the Leyrian man.
A pale face with vibrant green eyes and thin dark eyebrows stared back at her. That would do, she supposed. She had tied her long black hair into a ponytail, and thrown on her uniform in a hurry.
The doors slid open.
CIC was a spartan room where several control consoles sat facing the elevator and bright fluorescent lights provided the only illumination. Each station was manned by a young officer in a blue uniform.
Lieutenant Alani Terron – a young woman with a bob of short brown hair – stood at attention. “Ma'am,” she said with a curt nod. “Colonel Elis went to meet Lord Slade in the cargo
bay.”
Kyla folded her arms, directing a frown at the young woman. “Has he checked in yet?” she asked, her eyebrows climbing. “Slade's visits are usually planned out months ahead of time. I don't like this.”
Alani Terron closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she steeled herself. “No, ma'am, he hasn't,” she said. “I assume he's escorting Lord Slade down to the holding cells.”
“Page him.”
The young lieutenant who sat at the station on her left tapped away at his console, frowning when he saw the results. “He's not answering, ma'am,” he said. “I have nothing from the colonel or the security team.”
“Show me camera footage.”
A hologram appeared against the far wall, displaying nothing but gray-white static. Kyla felt an immediate pang of concern. “Footage of the adjacent corridor!” she barked. “Now!” When the static remained, she knew she was in trouble.
Turning on her heel, Kyla paced a line across the room with her arms folded. “We have intruders, lieutenant,” she said, focusing her thoughts. A good officer knew how to remain calm in a crisis. “Security alert.”
“Security to Level 3 Cargo bay. Blue Sector.”
The alarms began to screech.
Kyla pressed the heels of her hands to her eye-sockets, groaning her displeasure. “All right, let's work through this piece by piece,” she said. “Give me a thermal scan of the entire facility.”
The two-dimensional image vanished to be replaced with a wireframe outline of the entire base. Hundreds of red dots appeared scattered throughout almost every room and corridor, each one representing a human body. “Now filter out those with an ID badge,” she ordered. “Let's see what we get.”
Dots vanished from the image, leaving only three behind. Three people who didn't belong here. Two were in Blue Sector, moving through the corridors on level 3. One had descended to level 2. What could they be after? There were no essential systems in Blue Sector. Their most likely goal was the cell-block where the telepaths were kept when not in training. But that was in Red-Sector. So either they didn't know where they were going or they wanted something else. “Seal off Blue Sector. Force-fields at all exit points.”
