Calico stepped in front of Regan and Straya, winding up to do something. Finally, and with great drama, she gave the security detail her best pouty face. Regan hadn’t seen it in so long. It used to annoy him, but he liked it being used for his own needs.
Again, security wasn’t having any of it. In fact, one of the security guards laughed.
“Well, aren’t you adorable?” he said
“She sure is,” the other guard said. “But she still isn’t getting inside.”
Regan then put his hand on Calico’s arm as he turned the ladies around.
“Well,” he said to the security guards. “Have a great evening. We’ll find somewhere else to get our game on.”
The ladies stomped on the walk back. Arkei spoke through the communication link, “So what now? Because it sounds like you didn’t get in.”
“Oh, we’ll get in,” Regan grumbled as he and the ladies headed back to the ship.
Chapter Sixteen
As Regan, Calico, and Straya neared the ship, they discussed with Arkei what the asteroid looked like from a schematic perspective. Regan would find another way in. Being turned away by the security guards really pissed him off, and he wanted to prove a point to Salvato.
I won’t be outdone so easily.
Regan was growing sick of these bad guys hiding in their fancy strongholds. He was getting sick of them thinking they could push people around. He thought of Mephistopheles, and how he used his power in a way that hurt others, and how that same power gave him license to do so.
And then there was Salvato, who sat behind a team of armed security in a casino, running illegal operations and sending his goons all over the galaxy to do his bidding.
Regan had had enough.
“This place is air tight,” Arkei’s voice came through their earpieces. “That front entrance is the only way into the asteroid complex. But then again, if heavy hitters like Salvato are gambling there, then it’s possible that service entrances are not available on schematic blueprints for security purposes.”
“No doubt about it,” Regan said.
“If we’re going to be breaking into a service entrance, then we might need a hand,” Straya said.
Regan knew exactly what she was thinking.
“We’ll be back on the ship momentarily,” he said.
Arkei, Reverie, Squit, Bob, and Posha were all seated on the bridge when Regan, Calico, and Straya arrived. The screens in the room displayed blueprints of the asteroid, but like Arkei mentioned over the communication link, there seemed to be only one entrance—that was public, anyway.
“No way they would send service staff through the same entrance as the high rollers,” he said.
Squit made some squishy noises and pointed to various screens with her tentacles.
“Think of all the cooks and bartenders who must work there,” Bob translated.
“Exactly,” Regan said.
Posha added, “Not to mention all the janitors, mechanics, specialists, and other employees who need to get in and out daily. To run power through a rock in space takes equipment, skill, and constant upkeep.”
Calico approached the pilot’s chair and took her seat. “With your permission, Captain, after asking us to leave I’m sure they followed up and saw us board our ship. I suggest we take off to avoid suspicion and continue this conversation in flight.”
Regan sat in his chair. “You’re right. But once you take off, how about circling a bit and seeing if we can find a way in?”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” she said, before flipping the power on.
Straya and Arkei switched on a manual scanner, and as Calico lifted the ship, the scanner brought up holographic images of what they were hovering near. Each of them dissected bits of the hologram to see if they could find somewhere, anywhere, that would allow them to break in.
Reverie stood from her seat and walked behind Regan, putting her hands on his shoulders and massaging them a bit. He could feel the warmth entering him. He could feel his calmness and stability solidifying, his confidence growing.
Calico slowly circled the asteroid at a distance that was unassuming. However, not too slowly to be noticed. She blended in with the traffic that was moving about.
“I don’t mean to hurry you, Calico,” Straya said while continuing to look at the holograms. “But I’m guessing that it won’t take long for the rest of the sector to come back online with a bulletin about our ship and the chaos we caused.”
Regan knew she was talking about the blast triggered by the antimatter modules, and he knew she was right. Certainly someone had captured footage of the incident, and once all the data was sorted through, they would be looking for their ship.
Calico nodded. “I know, I had the same thought.”
Then Arkei shouted, “Aha!” and pulled a piece from the hologram and sent it to the main screen.
The entire bridge looked at what appeared to be a narrow alleyway. It was built into the asteroid, camouflaged by rock-like material.
“It’s too perfect of a design to be natural,” Posha said.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Arkei replied, grinning at the screen.
While it was too dark to confirm a door at the end, the crew knew this was their best chance.
“Is there a place you can put this thing down?” Regan asked.
“I can get close, but security won’t like a ship lingering in dark areas,” Calico replied.
“Do what you can.”
Bob stood up and looked at the rocky alleyway on the screen. He folded his arms and nodded his head.
“Castle gates,” Bob stated with a smirk. Squit replied with some noises and Bob turned to face Regan. “Squit’s good at opening gates.”
Regan nodded. “If there’s a service door down there, then it will surely be locked and reinforced with all kinds of codes and key locks. Squit, you might be our best chance.”
Squit’s tentacles reached out and then wrapped around herself, like she was giving herself a hug. She smiled too, an expression that Regan was beginning to recognize through her barely visible face.
Calico set the ship down.
“Captain, I would like to join you, but I feel like we are in a tight spot here, so I should stay behind the controls,” Calico said.
“That’s exactly where you should be,” Regan said. “I’ll go in with Squit. Arkei and Straya can give us cover if needed.”
The two ladies were already standing. Arkei lifted her bionic arm into the air as if to say, ‘We are with you.’
Squit pulled Bob close and smothered his face with what appeared to be a long kiss, but because the tentacles were covering most of his body, it was hard to tell what exactly was happening. But the squishy liquid-like sounds gave them more than enough information.
Then she quickly joined Regan and the others as they descended the ship.
The alley was narrow, obviously not rock, but made of a metal material. They reached the end to find a door. It was solid, with a screen to the left, but no lights or obvious buttons. This door was only for people who knew what they were doing. People who were supposed to be here.
And like everywhere else Regan had been recently, he was not supposed to be here.
Squit put a tentacle on the screen and began moving it around. She flattened it to cover the entire screen, and used the others to touch various parts of the door, up, around, and all over the sides.
Nothing was happening. No movement or change of any kind. Whatever type of door this was, it was not one for hacking.
Regan supposed the only way to get through this door would be to break it down. But how?
Squit continued to try. She made all kinds of frustrated squeaks and squishes. She wasn’t used to this type of situation.
Eventually she dropped her tentacles and looked at Regan with a somber face. Even though it was dark where they stood, he knew her face was one of disappointment.
“You tried,” Regan said.
Then
Regan felt an air flow of some type. A heat from above him. It was very subtle, but he knew movement occurred.
He looked at the door and all around it. He supposed if it was an air-tight door then there must be some type of air release or pressure system that went along with it.
Arkei felt it too, as she grabbed Regan’s arm.
“I think there’s a ventilation system affiliated with this door,” she said. She pulled out a device, a small manual scanner she brought from the ship, and scanned the door and the surrounding mechanics.
Right above the door was a small vent. Too small for any of them to fit through. And the way it was welded, similar to the door itself, there was no breaking it or hacking into its system.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Straya said.
“How can we get in there?” Regan asked.
“I’m not sure we can,” Arkei said.
“Even if we could,” Straya chimed in. “That vent is connected to this door, which means it’s run by the asteroid’s fusion power. There’s nothing else strong enough that could keep this rock running.”
“And if it’s exhaling byproduct of the fusion reactor, then whatever is pouring out of there is some strong stuff,” Arkei added.
“Dangerous stuff,” Straya said.
Squit made some sounds and the other three just agreed. She was likely on the same page.
“But it’s an opening, so there must be a way to break through,” Regan started. “I know that sounds crazy, but certainly there would be other vents like this one. Larger vents. We must have suits aboard that ship that could withstand that type of force?”
Straya and Arkei looked at Regan like they had many times before, like these were basic space facts that he should know. He wasn’t a big fan of these glares, but he loved how fierce the ladies looked when they gave him them.
“Regan,” Straya said. “We are talking about a force of radiation that could cripple any suit we have.”
“The only reason we are okay right here underneath the vent is because it would only be activated by exhaust when the door opens, and it’s not going to open for us,” Arkei continued.
“Additionally, whoever is going through this door is likely being brought in by a machine or vehicle built to withstand the force,” Straya added. “That vent is a deterrent as much as an efficient mechanism.”
“Excuse me,” Posha’s voice interrupted through their two-way communication system. “As you know, with my biology I can withstand all the dangerous complexities of such a task. And more importantly, I would like to. I think it sounds rather fun.”
“Bold move for a Class A,” Arkei stated.
“Posha,” Regan said. “How fast can you get down here?”
“Captain,” Bob said, sounding excited. “We could shoot him to you!”
There was silence for a few moments until Regan asked for clarification.
Bob, you really have lost it, buddy.
“If Calico can line up the airlock just right, we can shoot Posha from it!” Bob shouted. He seemed very excited at the prospect of shooting a lizard at them.
Bob added, “It’s a popular tactical maneuver in War Games 3.”
Wait, he’s played War Games?
It is the most popular shooter on Earth.
But Regan didn’t have time to question that right now. “Bob, you might be onto something there. Calico, is it possible for you to line up the airlock to shoot Posha right at the vent?”
“If I do that,” Calico began, “the three of you will have to hurry back to the ship. It might not go unnoticed.”
“Agreed,” Regan said as they started running back. “But I can’t think of a quicker plan. Bob! I can’t believe you played War Games… Wait, did you say ‘3’?”
“War Games 3!” Bob replied. “The best in the series!”
“Bob, everyone knows War Games 2 is the more balanced entry.”
“Not so, Captain, once you understand the meta—”
“Never mind, Bob!” Regan snapped. “Calico, let’s make this happen.”
“So after he gets inside, what’s the next move?” Calico asked.
“Well, we need a place to dock the ship. So why don’t we have him get into the asteroid’s system and open the bay doors for us?”
“I suppose that would work.”
The ship lingered nearby, the airlock lined up with the alley they stood in.
“Okay, I just secured Posha in the airlock,” Reverie’s voice came through. “I added a bit of confidence to his resolve.”
“No time for a countdown, Captain,” Calico said. “I have this sucker lined up.”
It was only moments later that Posha was ejected from the airlock and went flying past Regan, Arkei, Straya, and Squit. And like that he disappeared into the air duct. He squeezed right through in the blink of an eye.
However long they would have to wait for him to make his move once inside was another story.
“Posha, we’ll return to the ship and Arkei will navigate you through the asteroid so you can get to the supply hangar,” Regan said. “Once inside, open it for us and that’s it. You got it?”
“I am quite certain this is a simple task that I will have no trouble carrying out,” Posha said proudly.
“Let’s hope this works,” Arkei said.
“It’ll work,” Regan said, as they headed back to the ship.
On the bridge, Calico maintained her casual circling of the asteroid, moving in and out of the merging traffic. They had noticed that additional ships were arriving. Some of them patrol ships.
“Can we tune in to a frequency to see if they’re looking for us?” Regan asked.
“I’m already on it,” Straya said, motioning at the code running across the screen in front of her. “Nothing so far. They believe an over-flux of power caused the blackout. But they aren’t ruling out foul play just yet.”
Arkei had the schematics on the screen and was navigating Posha toward the hangar. He was close, but Regan couldn’t understand for the life of him how someone could move so slowly.
Then Posha’s voice started to get fuzzy. He was breaking up.
“Posha? Posha, are you there?” Arkei asked.
The bridge stayed silent waiting for his reply, which finally came through, but it wasn’t in a way that was to their liking.
“I read… it seems that perhaps… and a big wave of… I don’t think… problem… but you can never…”
Arkei spoke the rest of the directions to Posha slowly and clearly. She repeated them several times to account for any possible interference. Then Posha’s communication link went completely dead.
Arkei looked at everyone else.
“While Posha can withstand that much force and radiation,” she started, “his communication link cannot. We may have just lost contact with our inside guy.”
“Let’s get to the hangar doors and idle,” Regan ordered instantly. “As soon as that thing opens, we charge in, whether or not it was his doing.”
“That’s risky, Captain,” Calico said.
“It’s our only chance. Not to mention, we have a crew member in there, and we don’t leave our crew members for dead.”
As Calico began navigating the ship for the hangars, Straya jumped up.
“They’re now looking for a ship that matches our description,” she said. “They have made no threats or orders about us directly, but they’re now leaning more toward the fact that it may have been a battle between ships and the damage was intentional.”
Shit. Get those doors open, Posha.
They idled near the hangar doors for a short while, but it felt longer than that. While waiting, Regan grew increasingly nervous about security and patrols. They were a hot target now for too many reasons to count, and they were barging in on a mob boss. None of this was a good place to be.
Patrols started approaching them. There were no lights or alarms, but they were clearly starting to circle the area.
Regan knew they didn’t
have much time.
And then it happened.
The hangar doors began to open. They didn’t move as fast as Regan was hoping, but they began to open nonetheless.
Just as soon as they were nearly open all the way, they stopped, and then began to close. “Someone is on to it,” Calico said.
“The asteroid’s security is trying to close the doors after an unauthorized opening, no doubt,” Straya said.
“So Posha did it,” Arkei said.
There was no time to waste. They had to race the door.
“Get inside now,” Regan ordered. Everyone realized the door opening didn’t look wide enough, but a second of hesitation would ensure that’d be the case.
Calico fired the ship toward the hangar doors, not wasting a millisecond. The doors seemed to close faster than they opened, but that could have been all in Regan’s mind. He thought for sure they would lose a piece of the ship, something on the top or bottom, when entering the closing space.
But they didn’t. They made it through.
Calico quickly found a less populated corner of the hangar area. A spot where fewer patrols and security would be, based on proximity to the hangar entrance. She wanted to avoid baggage handlers and security alike. They couldn’t be seen by anyone.
But the bottom line was that they had made it inside. The hangar doors closed behind them. Certainly there would be a security detail to come and inspect the situation, but Regan and his crew would be long into their mission by that point.
Chapter Seventeen
The ship had made it inside safely, and now it was time to find Salvato. But Regan knew the entire crew couldn’t leave the ship. He had to leave several people behind in case something went wrong.
Having someone reporting back the schematics of the place would help them tremendously too. Since Arkei had already been going through them, Regan decided she should run point on the ship while he led the trek into the casino.
Calico would come with him, as she was most familiar with Salvato and his tactics. Straya was in for her combat skills, and that would be enough. A small team could be sneaky, fight well, and not fold under pressure.
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