As dim road lights glided by, he thought about the data crystal Zora had given him. She promised it would explain everything, but it left him with more questions than answers. Randai wondered whether he was a fool for going along with her plan. He barely even knew the woman, but every time he got the urge to turn away, his instincts tugged at him like they knew something he didn’t. The uncertainty made him excited like the good old days. He’d always enjoyed his Archagent assignments. He missed the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of putting the bad guys behind bars…or in the ground…or out an airlock.
Rolling with the madness felt…right.
Reaching the location Zora had marked didn’t take long. The dilapidated old shop close to District Sixteen’s walls looked like it hadn’t been used in decades.
Most of the structures scattered about the outer-city hamlet had been abandoned or turned into squatter holes: dens for substance addicts and the lowest of the low. Randai realized that he likely would have ended up in one of those buildings long ago had Zora not been around. Even if Doctor Kira had been an act, the woman had dealt him a new hand, and he couldn’t help but feel indebted.
He climbed out of the car and retrieved his gear, the stench wafting from the humming machines of a nearby waste processing plant permeating the area. Randai deployed his helmet and activated his air filters as he walked into the crumbling building. The stairs had caved in long ago. A half-collapsed ceiling had fallen at an angle, creating a steep ramp leading to the floors above.
Randai climbed to the third floor, careful not to upset the loose rubble and cause another collapse. He eventually settled into a spot near a broken window at the front of the building. Rusted support beams poked through sections of rotting floor that had given way. The area by the window creaked disconcertingly under his weight, but he nestled into the eaves, moving as little as possible.
Randai lifted his rifle’s scope to his right eye and peered through the window opening. The street was just as Zora’s notes had described. A narrow avenue stretched away from the old store. Rubble littered the broken road, and rusted vehicle shells lined the sidewalks. At the end of the avenue, a twenty-story building rose from the grimy street, dominating all other structures in the area. By the look of its prefabricated gray panels and its angular design, the tall building had been constructed fairly recently. A lot of traffic moved around the fortified structure…a lot of traffic for the outskirts of District Sixteen.
That’s one serious operation the White Dragons have there.
Randai figured that the rim of Bometown was the perfect place to keep such an undertaking secret. No one who was anyone travelled to the outskirts of the Underway districts if they could help it.
What Randai was supposed to do there, he wasn’t sure. Zora’s file had mentioned something about a sign. He cursed her for not being more specific. She could have at least stipulated the nature of something so important.
Once the sign appeared—whatever form that took—Randai was to provide support from his window position. He set about loading his rifle. She could’ve at least told me who the damn target is. It’s like Mr. Darcy all over again. What if I shoot the wrong person?
Zora had obviously planned some kind of an attack. Organizing a force big enough to take such a building accounted for her abrupt departure earlier. Randai hoped she had a small army. Either way, things were bound to get messy. Her notes also instructed him to prime his TEK’s phantom-drive, though they didn’t explain why. Randai didn’t like the sound of that. It meant the action would likely be coming to him. The semi-stealth phantom system would also drain his suit’s battery fast, leaving him without shields. But he did as he was told.
Good boy Randai. Always taking orders from your superiors.
He would have been more worried, but Zora seemed to know what she was talking about.
Randai zoomed in on the fortress as he waited. A high barbed fence, patrolled by several warrior-class Vargs, surrounded the building. A checkpoint guarded by four more Vargs was the only point of entry Randai could see. Two Varg sharpshooters rested lazily two floors apart from each other about halfway up the structure. Randai wouldn’t have spotted them in the dark windows if they’d been taking their jobs seriously. Vargs weren’t exactly known for their subtlety or finesse, but most of the guards appeared too relaxed.
One thing was certain: Mr. Darcy and his Varg legion weren’t expecting trouble. The complex was nothing short of a small-scale military operation, and Randai wondered what the White Dragons boss was up to.
Maybe he’s planning on taking over the Underways.
Time passed slowly, and Randai was about to stretch his shoulders when an unmarked truck pulled up outside the checkpoint gate. A heavily armed Varg admitted the vehicle access, and it drove to the bottom of the steps leading to the building’s main entrance. Two warrior-class Vargs exited the truck and walked to the vehicle’s rear, pulling the doors open. Four heavily armed guards climbed out, leading a bound prisoner. Randai zoomed in for a better look and realized it was Zora…wearing her doctor’s uniform. What the hell is the woman playing at? Where’s her army?
Randai blinked several times to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him or that something hadn’t gone wrong with his implant. He quickly glanced along the streets, expecting to find armed men stalking the shadows or appearing in the windows of abandoned buildings as they advanced on the fortress, but he saw no such thing.
His scope snapped back to the fortress and Zora looked in his direction, winking. The Varg holding her chains pulled so hard she fell to her knees.
Was that the sign? It couldn’t be. Surely...
They led Zora up the steps to the main doors, and she looked back down the avenue toward Randai, her face contorted with panic. Something told Randai he’d missed the mark. Leaning into his Twin Viper, he inhaled deeply and controlled his breathing. The building was over a mile away, and he hadn’t configured the weapon yet. Randai wondered whether he could make the shot.
As a Varg pulled the large doors open, Randai got the guard tugging on Zora’s chains in his crosshairs. If I get them off her, she might be able to escape.
He pulled the trigger. A split second later, the Varg crumbled. As his body hit the ground, the two sharpshooters in the windows went down. Randai fired a fourth round.
The boards shifted under his legs, causing him to jerk as he regained balance. He missed, his bullet throwing up a plume of dust as it struck the fort’s wall. Randai shuffled back into position and loaded a new magazine.
An alarm broke out across the way, echoing down the streets toward him. Looking through the scope again, he found the fort grounds in disarray. Vargs milled about outside, not knowing what to do. One reached for Zora’s chains and hit the ground hard an instant later, blood pumping through a wide hole in his TEK’s chest-plate.
Zora dropped to her chest as Varg gunfire erupted. They fired in random directions, hoping to hit him by pure chance. Zora looked in Randai’s direction and smiled despite the pandemonium surrounding her. Three Vargs at the gates ran for her.
Randai steadily took them down one at a time. The remaining guards continued shooting in random directions, hoping to hit their invisible enemy. He reloaded his weapon and looked back to Zora. A Varg reached through the building’s doors and grappled with her. Randai couldn’t get a clear shot, but she held her own. Even without her TEK’s enhancements, Zora took the beast down single-handedly. Randai wondered what kind of augmentation she’d received as he aimed at a guard shooting from the fence.
The building doors burst open again and dozens of Vargs poured onto the grounds. Randai wondered how Mr. Darcy had smuggled enough heavy guns to arm them all. A group of three subdued Zora and dragged her toward the doors. She kicked her legs free, but they pulled at her arms and hair.
Randai aimed at the Varg he judged the safest.
The ground shifted beneath his feet as he pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit another abandone
d building across the road. He swore as he steadied himself once more.
The rotting support beam gave way. He crashed to the floor below and tumbled down the steep ramp.
39
The Hangar
Groups of civilians huddled together around the hangar control room terminals, whispering in frightened tones. In one corner, a woman consoled a crying toddler. In another, a Marine medic supported a wounded colonist who groaned in pain. The Marines had briefed the colonists before cramming everyone into the small room, preparing them for the push toward Project Zero.
Clio and Briggs remotely completed their work on the droids near the docking bay. With the machines drawing the Chits out of the aisles, Nakamura would lead the first squad of the column. The forward squad would also guard Clio, Grimshaw, the scientists, and anyone else who needed to get on board straight away. Three groups of colonists guarded by Marines made up the remainder of the column.
Clio looked up from her console and smiled at Aegis Nakamura. He returned the gesture, but she saw through the thin veil that masked his pain. He’d grown much paler since their fight with the heavy Chit elite, and Clio worried for him. Much of the maneuver they had planned relied on the Aegis.
“I’ve activated Project Zero,” Nakamura announced. “I’ll lower her prow ramp after releasing the secondary gate locks. Otherwise, we risk Chits getting on board.”
Swigger squeezed up next to Clio. “Found something for you.” He set a helmet on her command terminal.
“Where did you get that?”
“Captain Kobol had us sneak back into the labs to search for anything we could use against the bastards in the hangar. We found an armory. It was mostly empty, but I noticed the helmet was the same model as your TEK.”
“I appreciate it, Swigger,” Clio said with a playful punch to his shoulder.
He leaned in to whisper. “You can thank me with a coffee, when we get out of here.” He winked.
“That’s a big if,” Clio chuckled under her breath. “Good luck in there.”
“You too.” Swigger saluted casually before disappearing into the sea of bodies.
Booster poked his head out of his bag and snorted. “Big if.”
“Booster, what did I tell you? Stay in the bag until we reach the ship.”
The puck growled before doing as he was told.
Clio equipped her helmet and was pleased to find that it fit as well as the last one. She synced the bucket with her TEK and SIG, and the mission timer appeared in her visor. A red warning reminded her of the TEK’s low battery. An orange light flashed in the lower right corner, notifying her of a private vox call from Nakamura. Clio opened the line.
“Glad you’ve got a helmet. No doubt things will get messy in there.” His voice sounded as stern as ever despite his worn appearance. “That data crystal. Make sure it gets to Minister Straiya. Failing that, Minister Jackson or Ambassador Andallis will do.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Does he know about the transmission in the data center?
“What data crystal?” she asked innocently.
“Check your suit’s injection chamber.”
Clio popped the hinge next to her SIG and found a tiny white crystal. “How did you get it in there?”
“I stowed it while you were unconscious outside the data center.”
“I see.” Clio sighed with relief. For a second, she thought the Aegis had discovered her ulterior objective.
Nakamura’s voice crackled. “A word of warning. You’ll want to reconsider feeding classified Confederation data to third parties in the future.”
The words struck her like icy water. “How did you…know?”
“Don’t underestimate the Aegi, Evans. We have our ways.”
Clio thought she heard amusement in his voice, adding confusion to the mix of dismay and terror. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing. You’re our only hope of getting off this rock. Listen.” His tone turned serious all of a sudden. “I don’t know what your reasons are, Evans, but I’m sure they’re good. Ever since we left those ruins back in Sector Two, you’ve impressed me at every turn. If things go south in the hangar, promise me you’ll get the crystal to the right people.”
“Of course,” she said, trying not to gulp. “You really haven’t told anyone else?”
“Why should I? No one else needs to know.”
“But…Why?”
“The Aegi are no strangers to operating outside the law. Let’s just say I believe in second chances.”
“I’m sure the Ministers would prefer to receive the crystal from you directly,” Clio said, trying to give it back.
Nakamura sniggered and coughed as he pushed her hand way. “You’ve shown me that you understand the importance of a backup plan. Just promise me.”
“Okay, Sai,” she relented. “I promise.”
“Thank you. And just so you know, it was a pleasure serving with you, Clio.”
Nakamura cut the connection before she could respond.
An explosion erupted from inside the hangar, and the control room blast shields opened, revealing two wide windows and a door. Colonists cried out with worry, and a Marine at Clio’s shoulder swore.
Nakamura crouched by the door leading to the hangar.
Gunfire thundered beyond.
Nakamura pressed his SIG and the door snapped open. The crowd surged behind her as she filtered into the hangar after him.
Clio stepped onto a raised platform and followed the Marines in front as they descended the metal steps leading to the hangar floor. From this height, Clio caught sight of Sai Nakamura’s back. He moved fast for a man so severely injured. She recalled what he’d said about the Aegi Order using Fury Program research to augment their own abilities.
A bright plasma discharge extended from the Aegi’s SIG, forming a burning blade. Three buzzers flew at him from behind a pile of crates. With swift swipes, he cut them down.
“Let’s go,” Lynch urged from ahead.
The squad turned a corner, following Nakamura onto the main hangar walkway. With no Chits ahead, they advanced toward Project Zero unhindered.
Clio’s SIG registered heavy Chit activity in the far-right corner where the droids had drawn them. The heat signature in that area read high. The fuel containers had ignited. A handful of buzzers dotted Clio’s visor map, but the plan seemed to be working.
They were halfway along the avenue when she caught a glimpse of Nakamura through the production line machinery. He had reached the secondary gate locks by the Chit hole without alerting the invaders.
He frantically worked at the manual overrides.
Clio’s squad carried on until they cautiously approached the end of the avenue.
Sergeant Lynch held up his hand as they came within a stone’s throw of the ship bay, stopping them in their tracks. Clio’s visor readings crackled and blurred, and communications went down. She looked around for any sign of elites, but the coast was clear.
As she looked back to Nakamura’s position, a tremor rolled under her feet. Before she could process what was happening, the Chit hole exploded, sending chunks of concrete and dust into the air, blotting out the Aegis. Parts of the hangar floor crumbled into the widening chasm as something dark moved within.
Giant limbs, no less than thirty feet long, reached from the settling dust and found purchase on the hangar wall and floor. The jagged stem’s shook as they heaved a gargantuan bulk out of the hole, raising its belly twenty feet into the air. Long tendrils trailed behind the monster’s back, stretching into the cracking crater from which it emerged.
Clio had heard whispers about Chit tanks. She thought those stories had been wildly exaggerated, but if anything, they made light of the monster. Its carapace scraped lights from the hangar ceiling as it reared.
“Makes the tank at Gate Six look like a flea,” Grimshaw muttered.
“It’s an ambush,” Lynch growled. “They knew we’d come for the ship.”
A buzz aro
se, and Clio glanced to the right as the Chits around the hole raced toward them. They had seconds before access to Project Zero was cut off.
Grimshaw broke into a run. “We can still make it.”
“You heard the Commander,” Lynch said. “Move it!”
Clio followed as they sped onward, the tank approaching from the left, and the Chit horde crashing across the hangar like a wave on the right.
Only another few paces and we’ve made it.
The tank roared, and its body twisted at an odd angle. A tremor, orders of magnitude greater than the last, rippled under Clio’s boots, and she hit the ground hard, landing next to Commander Grimshaw. She sat up and found that Marines and scientists were down all over the place. Back at the avenue, civilians and Marines alike stumbled and tripped over one another. Clio was halfway to her feet when another tremor sent her crashing into Grimshaw.
The Chit swarm closed in fast, any chance of reaching Project Zero without a fight lost.
She got to her knees as the ground crumbled around her and fired on the swirling buzzers.
Gunfire erupted all around.
“We need to do something about that tank!” Grimshaw shouted over the vox. “Its tentacles must be anchored beneath us.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Lynch cried out over the noise.
Clio rolled aside as a small fissure opened up and swallowed the ground next to her. Red plasma blasted past her, and a Marine went down.
“Return fire,” Grimshaw called.
Clio wrestled with her heavy machine gun as it unleashed a wild spray on the closing swarm.
A nearby fuel barrel ignited, raining liquid fire down on the Chits. The flames flowed in front of the brown mass, creating a barrier. The buzzing and shrieking increased to a deafening scream, forcing Clio to increase her exoframe’s noise filters.
“It won’t hold the bastards for long,” Grimshaw said on the vox. “Move!”
Another tremor threw Clio off balance and Swigger reached out to steady her. “Got you!”
The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure Page 27
