Sergeant Ron cleared his throat again. When Trinity looked at him, he pointed at the holograph pad located between the pilot and copilot’s seats. “You know we could call up the major and ask for transportation. He’s got a special ops unit attached to the division. I suspect they could get you near CSI’s headquarters undetected.”
Trinity shook her head. “Negative. We can’t involve the major until we have more information. He’s in enough radioactive dust as it is. I don’t want to cause him more trouble.”
“Ah,” said Sergeant Ron grinning. “So it’s okay to get Charlie and me in trouble but not the major, huh? Now I see where Charlie and I stand on your list of priorities.”
Trinity felt her face grow warm. She’d felt it get that way much too often lately whenever the major was involved. “That’s not the way I meant it, Sergeant Ron. What I meant was—”
Laughing, Sergeant Ron held up his hands. “Relax, wizard scout. I was just pulling your hyper-drive. I know what you meant. As it so happens, I have a possible alternate means of transportation to get you there unseen.”
“You do?” Trinity asked growing suspicious. She didn’t like the twinkle in the old man’s eyes. Even though they’d only been together a short time, she knew enough about him to know the twinkle usually meant ‘watch out.’
Sergeant Ron nodded. “Yes, I do. But it’s gonna cost you a big favor one of these days. You never know when I might need a wizard scout to give me a helping hand.”
“Fine,” Trinity said. “I’m in no mood to dicker, and I don’t have the time anyway. What’s your plan?”
The Defiant’s captain smiled. “Why it’s easier than a freighter hauling ore through Crypto’s ice rings. How do you feel about teleports?”
“Ha!” Trinity said. “I’m a little suspicious about your reference to ore freighters. From what I hear, Crypto’s ice rings are littered with the wrecks of ore freighters. And we’d have just about as much chance of getting a teleport out of the Imperial High Command as those ore freighters did getting through the rings. Heck, I wasn’t even able to get a teleport to Cavos. That’s why I had to catch a ride with you, remember?”
Sergeant Ron laughed. “I thought you were smarter than that, Trinity. You caught a ride with me because the central computer wanted you to be on the Defiant. The Imperial High Command could’ve coughed up a teleport if they’d wanted.”
“Well, they didn’t want,” Trinity insisted. “You can’t just get an unauthorized teleport. All teleports are controlled by the Imperial High Command.”
“That’s not exactly true,” said Sergeant Ron sporting a big grin. “At least it’s not true when you know people, and believe me, I know people.”
“Who do you know that could get Charlie and me a teleport?” Trinity asked wondering if the old man was trying to pull her hyper-drive again.
“That’s easy,” said Sergeant Ron. “I know the commandant.”
Chapter 14 – CSI Headquarters
_______________________________
The cells of Trinity’s body tore apart as the Defiant’s dining area went in and out of focus. Before everything blacked out, Trinity caught a final glimpse of Charlie armed to the teeth with a phase pistol in each of his two upper hands and a plasma rifle cradled in his lower arms.
An instant later, a large room with orange-suited technicians sitting behind a control console came into view, but only for a second. Almost immediately, Trinity felt her cells tear apart again as the primary teleporter room at the Academy on Velos went in and out of focus. She barely had time to glimpse Charlie standing on the pad to her right before everything went black again.
When her eyes came back into focus, Trinity found herself standing next to a gray metal wall several stories tall. The night sky was cloud covered and dark. Everything was quiet. As Jennifer had said, the CSI compound was located on the city outskirts. What she hadn’t told them was that it was inside a fenced in area the size of eight city blocks. Trinity could make out the bright lights of the Tremar skyline in the distance. Fortunately, the area around Charlie and her was dark.
The darkness mattered little to Trinity since she was used to viewing everything through her battle suit’s night vision filter anyway. She remembered her instructors at the Academy telling the cadets that if they always operated their battle suits using night vision mode, it wouldn’t make a difference whether they were fighting in the dead of night or the noonday sun. Everything would always look the same. Besides, the battle suit’s night vision gear was the best the Empire had to offer. She could see everything as clearly as if it were broad daylight, albeit with a reddish tint. She looked at Charlie standing next to her. Even the visible portions of his normally gray skin had a reddish tint.
“All right, Charlie,” Trinity whispered. “Do you stuff.”
The Sterilian didn’t move, but Trinity sensed a line of Power stretch out from Charlie and move into the building. She tried following along with an active scan of her own but was soon outpaced. Within seconds, Charlie’s scan merged with a flow of energy in a set of security cameras in the hallway on the other side of the wall. Trinity pulled her own scan back. She wasn’t a diviner. She knew her limitations.
“Wise decision,” came Jennifer’s thought. “He knows what he’s doing. My recommendation would be to track as many life forms as you can with your passive scan. Once we get moving, you won’t have much time. Too bad we don’t have a clue what we’re trying to find.”
“Yeah, too bad,” Trinity said. “That’s why we have to be flexible.”
“Hmm,” said Jennifer. “Sometimes being too flexible means all you have time to do is bend over and kiss your—”
“Done,” said Charlie getting Trinity’s attention. “Hallway on other side safe.” He pointed at a door a few meters away. “I open so we go in.”
Trinity shook her head. “Not we, Charlie. I’ve put you in too much danger as it is. You’re a civilian. Stay here. If you can keep the alarms from going off as I move through the building, that’s all I can ask.”
“I stay,” Charlie said. “But I no like.”
Trinity looked at the muscular lizard. He was wearing a power-skeleton over a black jumpsuit. Even without the assistors in the metal skeleton, she knew he would be a formidable foe. For a split-second she considered changing her mind and taking him with her. She quickly shoved the idea to the side. I’m a wizard scout, she thought. I’m most effective when I work alone.
“Hey,” said Jennifer in their shared space. “What am I? Chopped pactar?”
“You know I didn’t mean you, Jennifer. You and I are a team. We’ll always be together.”
Leaning closer to Charlie, Trinity said, “At the first sign of trouble, I want you to give the abort signal. Sergeant Ron will forward it to the commandant. He’ll have you teleported back to the Defiant. Got it?”
“I got,” said Charlie.
Trinity didn’t like the look she thought she saw in the lizard’s lidless eyes through the visor of his helmet. Nevertheless, she decided to take him at his word. Nodding her head, she moved toward the door in the wall.
“Jennifer, activate the battle suit’s camouflage,” Trinity ordered.
Trinity sensed energy flow through her battle suit along with her other equipment. Unlike the priests’ temple, the inside of the CSI headquarters building would be well lit. Even though she knew she wouldn’t be invisible, she was gambling she’d still be hard to see. She had a feeling she was betting her life on it.
“Actually,” said Jennifer. “I think you’re mostly gambling on Charlie’s ability to trick the security systems into not detecting you.”
“Yeah, that too,” Trinity admitted.
The door in the wall opened. Trinity dashed inside and went to one knee as the door shut behind her. She held the handle of her inactivated phase rod in one hand and her phase pistol in the other.
“You should’ve taken my advice and brought an M12 heavy plasma rifle,” said Jennifer
. “If you’re detected, the extra firepower would come in handy.”
“If I’m detected, old friend, I suspect they’ll be a lot of weapons lying around for me to pick up. I’m not exactly helpless, you know?”
“I know,” admitted Jennifer. “However, it’s my job to plan for worst case scenarios.”
Trinity counted to five. When no alarms went off, she stood and began walking rapidly but quietly down the hall. As she approached the first intersection, she sensed a hidden gun array in the wall ahead with her passive scan.
“Do you think Charlie’s got control of that thing?” Trinity asked.
“Are you full of holes yet?” Jennifer responded.
“No.”
“There’s your answer,” said Jennifer. “He’s got control.”
Forcing thoughts of the gun array opening up on her aside, Trinity continued forward taking a hard right at the intersection. Now that they were inside the building, she really wasn’t sure what to do.
“Please don’t tell me your whole plan is based on getting lucky,” said Jennifer.
“All right. I won’t tell you that. Now plot me a route that will keep me away from most of the life forms in here. I’m linking you up with my passive scan. Plot me targets on a schematic of the building.”
“Compliance.”
The CSI building appeared on the battle helmet’s heads-up display. At least two hundred dots were lit up on the overlay.
“It looks pretty busy for 0200 hours, doesn’t it?” Trinity commented.
“Not necessarily,” replied Jennifer. “Maybe they have customers on other worlds. They’d have to staff the building twenty-four seven”
“I thought you told me CSI was a startup company. How many customers do they have?”
“Uh, according to the information on the tele-network, the priests’ temple account is their only customer.”
Trinity continued to press on down the hallway. “Like I said, it’s pretty busy for 0200 hours.”
A blue dot flashed on the battle helmet’s heads-up display before disappearing. Stopping in her tracks, Trinity eyed the display closer. There was no longer any hint of blue.
“Did I just see a blue dot, Jennifer, or was I imagining things?”
“I identified a life force of unknown type in the building. I displayed it in blue, wizard scout.”
“What was it?” Trinity asked.
“Uh, were you listening when I said the words unknown type?”
“Fine then. Can you at least tell me where it went?”
“Sorry, wizard scout. I’m no longer registering the life form on your passive scan. That’s why I took it off your display.”
Trinity glanced over her shoulder to make sure the hallway behind her was still empty. Even though her passive scan told her it was clear, she had no desire for someone using a stealth shield to sneak up on her.
“What’s the probability the unknown object was the monsignors’ gem?”
“Zero,” said Jennifer quickly dashing Trinity’s hopes of a speedy end to her mission.
Making a snap decision, Trinity said, “Plot me a route to the blue dot’s last location. Notify Charlie of our new destination.”
“Are you sure, wizard scout? The unknown object was in the basement area. I calculate a seventy-one percent probability our best chance of finding useful information will be in the upper portions of the building. According to the building’s blueprints, that’s where they keep most of their computer equipment.”
“I’m sure, Jennifer. I’ve got a hunch. Just do it.”
“Compliance.”
A green path appeared on the heads-up display. Following it, Trinity soon found herself at what appeared to be a freight elevator.
“The building has twelve levels above ground and four below,” said Jennifer. “The unknown object was on the lowest basement level. The freight elevator is on the bottom basement level now.”
A quick check with her passive scan located the main elevators. They were well away from the freight elevator. In addition, way too many life forms were in the main elevators’ vicinity for her liking.
“Okay,” Trinity told her battle computer. “We’re going to have to do this the hard way.”
Reaching out with her Power, Trinity pried the elevator door apart far enough to allow her to squeeze through. She spied the top of the freight elevator four stories below. Taking a bunny hop, down the elevator shaft she went. Just prior to touching the top of the freight elevator, Trinity wrapped herself with Power. She used telekinesis to slow herself to a gentle stop just as her boots touched the top of the elevator. Using her passive scan, Trinity verified the elevator was empty. Looking around, she spotted the handle of an escape hatch in the top of the freight elevator.
“Are you sure the blue dot was on the bottom basement level?” Trinity asked.
“The blue dot was just my representation of the unknown life form,” replied Jennifer. “And yes, I’m sure it was here when your passive scan picked it up. I have no idea where it might be now. I calculate a ninety-eight percent probability the life form is using a stealth shield. It has to be a very good one otherwise you’d be picking up at least occasional readings from it.”
“Do you think it’s one of the dissenter priests?”
“I have insufficient data to make a reliable calculation, wizard scout. However, I’d advise using extreme caution. You know as well as I that unknowns are almost always dangerous.”
Lifting the hatch, Trinity peeked inside. The elevator was empty. She dropped to the floor closing the hatch behind her with telekinesis.
“I’d suggest hurrying before someone up above calls for the elevator,” said Jennifer. “Charlie’s ready to open the elevator door at your command.”
Trinity touched the switch to extend the phase rod. The brerellium steel shaft with its creallium core popped out the handle. She chose not to activate the phase energy yet.
“That’s smart,” said Jennifer. “The phase energy can be picked up by a lot of creatures. You can bet your last credit any creature powerful enough to have a stealth shield will be able to detect your phase rod the moment it’s activated.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Trinity said. “Tell Charlie to open the door. It’s now or never.”
The elevator’s door opened, and Trinity slipped out into a hallway composed of a dark metal. The metal seemed strange to her. It resisted her passive scan. She touched it with a finger. A warmth passed through her glove. For some reason, the warmth felt alien.
“What kind of metal is this?” Trinity asked.
“Unknown, wizard scout. If I had to hazard a guess, which you know I do poorly, I’d say the walls, floor, and ceiling of this basement level is composed of salvage from that wrecked starship the monsignors mentioned. The frequency of the metal isn’t in my databanks.”
“Great,” Trinity said. “That’s just one more friggin’ mystery to worry about. The metal’s resisting my passive scan. My range is less than twenty meters.”
“Understood,” said Jennifer. “This hallway doesn’t match the layout I have on your heads-up display. I suspect our earlier scan of this basement level was based on faulty information.”
In spite of the situation, Trinity smiled inside her battle helmet. It wasn’t often Jennifer admitted making a mistake.
“Hey,” said Jennifer sounding offended. “I didn’t say that I made a mistake. I said I was fed faulty data. Can I help it if your scan got spoofed?”
A noise behind Trinity made her spin around. She noticed the level indicator above the elevator door increasing.
“Someone’s called for the freight elevator,” said Jennifer. “I calculate you’re going to be having company soon if you don’t move.”
“Roger that.”
Since the hallway didn’t match up with the building’s schematic, Trinity made a guess as to the best way to get to the blue dot’s location. The earlier mass of life forms on her passive scan had disappeared. S
he picked up a few life forms on the other side of the hallway walls, but nothing further than twenty meters away.”
“Those are probably offices,” said Jennifer. “I recommend you spend minimum time in this hallway. You’re too exposed for my liking.”
“Or mine,” Trinity said as she increased her pace. She made for an intersection a little over twenty meters away. Suddenly, three humanoids came strolling around the corner. Two were tattooed humans dressed in gray pants and tops. The third humanoid was covered in orange and black fur. All three humanoids wore side arms.
Reacting instinctively, Trinity threw her phase rod straight for the Carsoloian with the full force of her battle suit’s assistors behind it. The tiger-like creature was fast, but not fast enough. The tip of the metal rod hit him square between the eyes knocking him against the back wall.
The two tattooed men grabbed for their pistols. Trinity wrapped Power around their holsters holding the weapons in place as she charged forward. One of the men turned to run, but Trinity was on him before he could take two steps. She swung him by his arm into the second man. Both fell onto the floor in a jumbled heap. Kicking out twice with her leg, Trinity broke their necks.
“The Carsoloian’s dead as well,” said Jennifer. “Not that it matters. The noise of that tiger banging into the wall will probably stir up a nest of Quatorain hornets.”
So much for stealth, Trinity thought as she levitated her phase rod into her waiting hand. She thumbed the rod’s switch into full destructive mode and headed in the direction that the Carsoloian and the priests had come from. As soon as she turned the corner, her battle suit twisted to avoid a stream of plasma rounds.
“Thanks,” Trinity said as she triggered her phase pistol sending three rounds in the direction of the plasma rounds.
“That’s what I’m her for,” said Jennifer. “One target’s down. Two more are getting ready to fire.”
Trinity Unleashed (Wizard Scout Trinity Delgado Book 1) Page 15
