"I know," John said, slowly letting go of Andrew and laying him back on the bed. The man he thought of like a son more often than not was asleep at last. But would those dreams be good ones? Or more of the emotional trauma he'd been experiencing in his sleep? He'd do anything to help Andrew. Literally anything at all. There had to be a way.
"Flashing lights," Andrew muttered in his sleep. "Symbols. Images. Colors. Red, green. Green, yellow. Blue. Blue. White. Blue."
John froze. It couldn't be. Flashing lights. In colored patterns. He knew where he’d seen things like what Andrew was describing, but it wasn’t possible. John looked over at Dan and saw his friend's eyes getting very wide. He'd come to the same conclusion. If they were right, then everything they had assumed about the alien slug wasn’t just wrong - it was horribly, terribly wrong.
The alien was sending Andrew telepathic coordinates for a wormhole jump.
Dan and John reconvened their meeting in the special projects lab a few minutes later. They were both staring at the small tank where the slug crawled along through the artificial pond. It looked a lot like an earth slug, except that it shimmered in rainbow colors when the light hit it. More like fish scales than the skin of a slug or snail. What manner of creature was it?
"You think it's sending jump coordinates," Dan said.
"So do you," John replied. The things Andrew had been talking about were too specific for it to be anything else.
"Does that mean it's sentient?" Dan asked. He reached out to tap the glass, thought better of it and withdrew his hand.
"I don't know," John said. He'd been thinking the same thing, but wanted Dan’s thoughts unclouded by his own observations. "Why would you think that?"
"Why else would it have jump coordinates?"
"All sorts of reasons,” John said. "It could just be parroting back things it has seen or heard. Something like a computer, with a bit of data still stuck in RAM."
"I suppose," Dan said. "But that stuff about water, and feeling like home... It sure sounded to me like Andy was feeling what the slug there was feeling. It misses home. And then it sends wormhole directions. I mean..."
"Yes, that sounds like sentience," John said. That made everything immeasurably more complicated. If the thing was sentient, was it an ally of the Naga and therefore a potential threat? Or was it a slave, and therefore possibly an ally? How the hell could they communicate with it more directly? It seemed like it was tearing Andrew apart, and had been ever since they'd taken it from his ear.
That might be the answer, of course. Maybe the problem was that they'd taken the thing out in the first place. John shuddered, trying to imagine Andrew's reaction if they put the alien back in his ear. He would never stand for it. But the distance between them didn't seem to be helping much. If anything the contact was growing stronger and more desperate.
His personal radio buzzed. He tapped it, opening a channel. "John here."
"Sir, we're getting a communication from the team on Earth. Some sort of emergency there."
"Understood. Hang tight, I'm sending Dan up to talk with them," John said. He keyed off the microphone. Dan was already on his way to the door.
"I'm sure Beth is fine, Dan," John said.
"Right," Dan agreed. He didn't slow down though. "You coming?"
"Be right up."
Dan wheeled himself the rest of the way out of the room, the doors sliding shut behind him. John shook his head with a wry smile. Those two needed to get back together. Somehow. It was crystal clear that they still cared about each other. Every time Beth was in any sort of danger, Dan went over the top to rescue her. He needed to stop that - to trust her and her ability to save herself. It was distracting him.
Like right now. If Dan hadn't been worried about Beth, he never would have left John alone in the room. He would have questioned why his friend wanted to stay here by himself. What possible motive he might have for being the only one in the lab with the alien creature that was hurting Andrew so much.
It was fortunate that he was distracted, this time. Because it would allow John to act without having to worry about his friend's approval of the plan. He glanced around the room. The tech had already left. No one else was nearby. What he was considering was reckless and dangerous. But he couldn’t think of anything else which was more sure to save Andrew.
John stood up and lifted the lid from the terrarium. He looked inside, peering down at the small creature living in the water below. His hands were sweating from just thinking about what he was doing. Was there any other way? Anything else that might bring a happy resolution, perhaps with a little less risk? He couldn't think of anything.
"For Andrew, I would do anything," John said. "Even this."
He reached down into the pool to grasp the alien thing.
Fifteen
They made it to the flyer before security nabbed them, but it was a near thing. It was a big airship with four rotors keeping it aloft and seats for eight people. Beth had no idea how Cory had brought it in on remote. That was some pretty sophisticated AI required, to bring the flyer in and set it hovering just above the rooftop waiting for them. Which meant this vehicle was worth a ton of money. Who the hell was Cory, that he had access to that sort of equipment on the fly?
Beth sat at the controls. She didn't trust Cory, even if he did seem to be on their side. Whatever was distracting John up on the moon was also keeping them from truly verifying Cory's identity. If he was a plant, then he was a really good actor. But it was still a possibility. What he was telling them right now sounded like bullshit, which wasn't making her trust him more.
"Those are the coordinates," Cory said. He was pointing to his tablet. "That's where their air-car stopped."
"It's the middle of the Gulf of Mexico," Beth said. "There's nothing out there, not even an island nearby."
"A boat, maybe?" Charline asked.
"Can't land a car that big on a boat," Cory corrected her. "Not unless we're talking about an aircraft carrier or something equally large."
"And boats that big are tracked by AIS, which I have up on my display here. There's nothing even vaguely near those coordinates," Beth said.
"Well, it has to be something," Charline said. "They can't have just vanished."
"It is possible they found the transmitter and threw it overboard," Cory said.
That would be bad. The tracking device was their one good lead. If they lost that, then they would be up a creek. Charline might be able to find out who was behind it using computer sleuthing, given long enough. But how much time was that going to cost? Every minute of delay increased the chances that there would be a disaster. If they really had taken the blood sample out into the middle of the ocean, it was the worst possible location Beth could imagine. If that stuff leaked and spilled into the water, it would all be over. Earth’s oceans would die, and then the rest of the planet would follow.
"What about an oil rig?" Linda asked.
They all stopped and looked at her.
"None of you are from Texas, are you?" she asked. “There used to be a ton of them out in the Gulf. Most of them left when the oil went dry there, but a few were just left out there to rust in place. Some of them might still be sturdy enough to land an air-car on."
"They'd make a perfect base for someone who didn't want to be found, too," Charline said. "Not on the maps, not on AIS, and just sitting there so long everyone has pretty much forgotten them."
"Sounds good," Cory said. "I've got a drone on our flyer. A little UAV - short range, but it's got enough to do the job. We can send it out there and take a peek before we arrive."
Beth considered the idea for a moment. It seemed like a good play. Of course, if Cory was working against them that might be just the signal that his friends were waiting for, to let them know he was near. Maybe this was an elaborate plan to catch them all... But she had to start trusting someone, sooner or later.
Trust came hard. She'd tried trusting people before, and it didn't work out well.
Now she trusted in herself. And John, usually. Why the hell wasn't he answering the radio, anyway?
"Do it," Charline said.
"You got it," Cory replied. He returned to working on his tablet, and a new whizzing sound started up from the roof above them. "We're off."
Beth was still as worried about what was happening at the lunar base as she was about the mission. John was there. Andrew. Dan. Shouldn't one of them have responded by now? Her guts clenched, her mind going through awful possibilities. What sort of crisis was keeping them from responding for so long?
As if thinking about them made it happen, Beth's tablet chirped for an incoming call. She jumped, looking down at the offending bit of technology. It was the moon base.
"About time," she growled as she picked up the call.
Dan's face appeared on her screen. "You're all right. Thank God."
"We're all right, yeah," Beth said. "Why the hell haven't you been answering our calls?"
"Emergency. Andy. He's having symptoms secondary to his recent injury," Dan said, stressing the last word. "Can't say more over an open line."
"Shit," Beth said, her face crumpling. Andy was a friend. She suddenly regretted the harsh words she'd said a few moments before. "Is he going to be OK?"
"We think so," Dan said. "John and I have some ideas. Now, what's going on with you?"
Charline leaned over Beth's shoulder to speak. "The package we brought down was stolen."
"Shit," Dan said. This time it was his turn to go a few shades more pale. "That's...very bad."
"You don't know the half of it," Beth replied. "It looks like someone infiltrated John's security team and then blew into a military lab to get the thing. Someone has been working this out for a while."
"You think something got leaked?" Dan asked.
"Possible. Or maybe they just figured anything we were bringing down this secretly was worth risking everything to grab. We did sort of spill it ourselves by setting up the meeting with Linda," Beth said. How many possible reasons could there be to send someone down from the moon to hold a secret meeting with a xenobiologist? She could think of a few, and most of them were interesting enough to warrant some corporate espionage.
“UAV is over the site,” Cory said. “There’s a rig there all right. Good call. Zooming in a bit on the camera to get a better look.”
Beth held her breath, trying to peek over his shoulder at the tablet he was working with. The image changed, zipping in closer in a dizzying manner. When it resolved again, she saw the familiar air-car sitting on a helipad off to one side of the rig.
“There’s our missing ride,” Cory said.
Beth turned back to Dan. “We’re going to go get the package back.”
“You sure?” Dan asked. “John can probably get a small army on its way in an hour or two.”
“In an hour or two they might have moved elsewhere,” Beth said. “We can’t wait. Dan - they’re in the middle of an ocean. You know what happens if they screw up out there.”
It was the worst possible nightmare scenario. If the bad guys had only gone north, into the desert somewhere! A spill there might have taken some work to clean up, but it would have been containable. Every ocean on Earth was connected. If one drop of the stuff hit the water here, it could spread across the planet uncontrolled.
“Get some backup ready anyway, just in case,” Beth said. Dan looked really worried. It was flattering. Deep down, she knew he was as worried about her as he was about the mission. But it was also frustrating. She didn’t need him watching over her shoulder. She wasn’t some sort of fragile flower that he needed to take care of, damn it! No matter how much her wounds still hurt right now.
“I’ll have John do that right away,” Dan said. “He should have been here by now… I wonder what’s keeping him?”
Beth thought she saw a flash of new worry crease Dan’s brow. She pushed the thought away. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. She needed to stay focused on what she was doing. For all their sakes.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got Charline with me,” Beth said, grinning. “The woman is hellfire with a gun.”
“Do it,” Dan said. His voice was resolved. There wasn’t any waver or hesitation left.
Beth nodded, feeling satisfied. “We’ll get it done. And come home ASAP.”
She flicked off the tablet, then turned to the rest of the team. “Let’s get our goop back from these assholes.”
Sixteen
The flyer shot over the ocean, skimming just a few feet above the waves. Charline clutched arm rests of her seat. They were little comfort. Cory seemed to have the craft well in hand, but if he screwed up even a little bit, or if a rogue wave popped up? They’d be slapped into the water in a heartbeat, and the rotors would tear their thin skinned vehicle to ribbons.
It was the best way to come in undetected, though. They had no way to tell if the rig had radar or not. Fly in at a higher altitude and they’d show up from miles away on even a basic system. At least this way, the enemy would have to rely on lookouts to spot them. Less warning, more surprise. They were going to need every advantage they could get.
“Charline, I want you to take over the UAV,” Cory said. He passed back his tablet. She scanned the controls. They looked simple enough. The drone was locked into a static flight pattern, circling the rig at high altitude.
“It’s not just a drone,” he explained. “It’s armed. The thing has four small rockets mounted on the wings.”
“Shit, that’s awesome,” Beth said.
“When were you planning to tell us this?” Charline asked.
“Just did,” Cory replied, flashing her that same infectious grin. “They’re not military grade hardware, mind you. They’re flash-bangs, like what police use. But if you can pop a few off as we’re coming in…”
“I can do that,” Charline said. This was gonna be like playing Halo. With a Banshee. With real bullets flying, she reminded herself. But hell, it would be interesting.
“You’ve only got four rockets, remember,” Cory said. “Make them count. Toggle to fire them is on the lower left. Tap to arm, tap again to fire.”
“Got it,” she said.
Charline took the UAV off autopilot, which brought it under her direct control. It wobbled a bit and almost fell into a dive, but she stabilized it. She took the thing into a gentle spin, testing it out. If she was going to fly it into battle she needed to know what it could do. She sent it into a nosedive, then pulled out, banking left and right. She had flown a few little drone helicopters before, but this was different. It was more like remotely flying an airplane, and it took her a minute to get used to the controls. Having the rockets wasn’t going to do them any good if she splashed the UAV into the ocean!
“I’m set,” she said at last. There wasn’t time to play around with the thing as long as she would have liked. The controls were simple enough. The little bit of practice she’d done would have to be enough.
“There they are,” Beth said, pointing. Sure enough, up ahead was the black skeleton of the oil rig rising from the water.
“Making our run now,” Cory said. The engines whined as he pushed still more speed from them.
Charline brought the UAV into a dive, swooping in toward the rig. At a range of about two hundred meters, she took the safeties off the rockets and fired one. It streaked toward the target on her screen, impacting with a blossom of light.
“Woohoo!” she shouted. She could see men scurrying around the platform now, running in all directions like ants from an overturned hill. “I’m seeing at least twenty bad guys over there.”
That wasn’t good news. There were a lot more people on the rig than any of them had thought there would be. If they were all armed, it would make for a short fight, and not a good end for her side. For a moment Charline hesitated and thought about calling the whole mission off. They could still return to the shore and wait for help from John’s security teams. With more backup they could hit the place with enough
force to win without trouble.
But she’d already fired a rocket. The enemy knew they’d been seen. They wouldn’t wait around for an hour or two for backup to arrive. They’d vanish, fading away to some other remote spot, and there was no guarantee she would be able to track them wherever they went. No, if they withdrew now it would be almost impossible to find the sample again. It was now or never. That thought didn’t make Charline’s nerves jangle any less, though.
“OK, see if you can keep them off the big open area in the center of the rig,” Cory said. “I’m gonna try to set down there.”
“Will do.”
Charline turned the UAV around, spinning it on one wing. It was small and fast. She could see men trying to shoot it down from the deck of the rig, but it made for a tough target. She fired a second rocket at the men just in case. It impacted in the center of the group. She couldn’t assess damage very well, zipping by as quickly as she did, but it couldn’t have been a fun experience for them.
One more pass, and she needed to make this one count. She could feel the flyer accelerating upward. Cory was gaining altitude so that he could land on the deck. Charline needed to cover their approach. She soared in, launching both rockets toward groups of men trying to rush to their landing area. Both groups scattered. One tried to reform again, and she couldn’t have that. She dove the UAV straight at them, smashing it into the deck.
Her camera cut out as the vehicle crashed, but she looked up quickly enough to see the explosions from both the rockets and the UAV blossom in the middle of a group of the enemy combatants. “That should keep their heads down.”
Cory was settling the flyer toward the deck. “Time to do this!” he shouted. Bullets were already whizzing toward them again. The windshield starred with impacts, then cracked. It wasn’t going to take this sort of abuse much longer.
“Pop the hatch!” Beth said.
Charline pulled out her pistols, preparing to go do her thing again. She hated this with every fiber of her being. Shooting had been a past-time that she had once enjoyed. Hunting and marksmanship were simple things. It was just you, the gun, and the target. Maybe you, the gun, and dinner, even. Her shooting had never involved complex moral problems before. But she’d managed to shove all of her feelings aside back in the lab, and she did the same thing again. The ramp lowered from the bottom of their flyer, and Charline rolled down it, arriving at the bottom on one knee, both pistols up and tracking.
Adventures of the Starship Satori: Book 1-6 Complete Library Page 31
