“Who are all these people?” Mark messaged Mike.
“Aristocracy, high ranking flunkies and officials and a few powerful and influential parasites.” Mike answered.
“And that’s your father in the chair at the other end of the building?”
“You mean First of the First on the Imperial Throne?”
“That would be the one. So, where’s your mother?”
“She’ll be in the crowd behind the throne, along with all the other senior wives.”
“So, will you have a crowd of senior husbands behind the throne when you’re First of the First?”
“If you think I’m going to participate in that tradition you have severely misunderstood my feelings about it.”
Mark saw sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at the crowd. From the back he saw several objects being thrown up in the air, some of them coming straight towards them.”
“Weapons up!” shouted Sally.
More objects were being thrown from different places in the crowd and started bursting open with loud popping sounds. Thick clouds of smoke exploded from them and a deafening screeching sound filled the room.
“What is going on?” Mark asked his AI as the smoke blocked out all the light..
“Battle fog and sonic weapons. The fog blocks all electromagnetic waves, including the visible spectrum, infra-red, ultraviolet, radio and radar. The sonic weapon prevents the use of sonar with multiple sound generators emitting high volume pulses rapidly moving in pitch from ultrasound to infrasound, so nobody can see or hear anything. I suggest you make contact with Mike as soon as possible and keep hold of her.”
“But you can see where we are can’t you – with the People’s technology.”
“The People’s technology is very advanced, but they do not have magic. I am as blinded by this as you are, and the drones are unable to penetrate it either. We are limited to the sense of touch.”
Mark had turned and was waving his arms around in the thick smoke trying to find Mike during the conversation with his AI, but the space where he knew she should be in, was empty. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he asked his AI, “Where’s Mike!”
“I don’t know. I still have inertial guidance and you are standing where she should be.”
“Can’t you detect her AI with your subspace communications?” he asked as he continued waving his arms blindly, desperately hoping he would find her.”
“I could if she had a People’s AI. I can detect Sally, but all other AI’s are invisible to me. I know from the schematics I have of the Palace that they have emergency fan systems to clear the air in case of gas attacks, so the battle fog should disperse soon.”
“But where’s Mike!”
Chapter Twenty Eight
Snatched
“Mark, have you got Mike?”
“No. Where are you?” He felt a hand touch his arm, then it grasped him.
“I’m right next to you.” Sally said.
“Why can I hear you? The sonic weapons and battle fog are blocking everyone else.”
“I guess it’s because we’ve both got People’s AI’s. Where is she?”
“I don’t know. I turned around as soon as the smoke came down, but I couldn’t find her. Isn’t there anything you can do about this stuff?”
“Battle fog didn’t come up in the risk assessment, so we didn’t bring any dispersant. I’ve never heard of it being used in an enclosed space before. It’s toxic to some species, which won’t be a problem for us, our phase shift armor will provide us with clean air, but we need to get everyone outside.”
“My AI told me there are fans that should clear it quickly, but we need to find Mike.”
“If Bryd Sa Dett has taken her I’ll kill him!”
“The fog is clearing; I wish someone would turn that noise off!”
A shape appeared at Mark’s side and a head leaned in and shouted in his ear: “Mark, It’s Touren. Have you got Mike?”
“Tell her to press her head against your skull and make a connection. I will be able to communicate with her AI and you will be able to talk normally.”
Mark thought for a moment and realizing actions would speak better than words, he seized Touren’s head and held it as he banged his head into hers. Their AI’s connected
“No, she disappeared as soon as the battle fog came down. It’s just starting to clear; we’ve got to find her.”
The fog was thinning quickly now, powerful fans were drawing it up through panels that had opened up in the roof high above them and fresh air was rushing through the open doors, and vents in the walls. Sections of the floor had lifted up and air was being blown from underneath. The sound generators were quickly silenced, and Mark could hear again. He swung round and saw Sally with her knife drawn facing Major Bryd Sa Dett, who had an assault rifle pointing at her head. He ran over to get between them.
“What’s happening?” he asked Sally.
She sheathed her knife and said, “He thinks we’ve done something with her. He hasn’t got her.”
The Major continued pointing his weapon at Sally. “Where is she!” he demanded. “If you’ve hurt her you’ll never leave here alive!”
“If you haven’t got her, and we haven’t, she must still be here. Now put your weapon down before I take it off you and shove it where you really don’t want it!” Sally told him.
Simon ran up to join them. He snatched the Major’s weapon out of his hands and pushed him backwards. The major stumbled and fell on his back.
Sally shook her head and ignoring the Major’s squad who all had their weapons aimed at her, stepped forward and reached her hand out to the Major, who looked at it for a few moments, then took it and pulled himself to his feet.
“Tell your men to stand down Major. We need to find Hess An Sur. Do you need to attend to the First of the First?”
“What’s happened to her? And no, the First of the First will have been taken to safety as soon as the fog was released.”
“Are you sure? About the First of the First I mean. There was a lot of fog from multiple grenades, his guard wouldn’t have been able to find the exit.”
There is an escape tunnel right by the throne. The whole Palace is riddled with them. There have been a lot of assassination attempts over the millennia, there are layer upon layer of precautions to protect the First of the First and their court.”
“Shit! Is there a tunnel entrance near here?”
“Several. We’ll check them out.” the Major said. He looked around at his squad. “Where’s Private Af Ack?” he asked his Sergeant.
“I don’t know, Sir. He was in line next to me before the battle fog was released, I didn’t see him leave.”
“General,” the Major said, turning to Sally, “Private Af Ack’s disappearance at the same time as the First Born of the First may not be a coincidence. He is new to my command, he transferred from the City Guard, so I can’t vouch for him. It is possible that he is implicated in some kind of rebel plot. I suggest that we join forces and form search parties with a mix of my and your soldiers. Your troops can add firepower to my teams who will lead as they have local knowledge and are familiar with the tunnel system.”
“My soldiers are used to working together Major, and we have a great deal of experience of search and rescue in kidnap situations. Our mixed species know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we work together well. Your soldiers would be a hindrance to us, particularly as our rules of engagement will be different to yours. Our tech will identify which tunnels have been used and we will recover Hess An Sur. You can follow us if you wish, but don’t get in our way.”
Turning to Mark she said, “Tell your AI to access and open all the nearby tunnels and send the cloaked People’s drones down all nearby tunnels to map them and search for Mike.”
“You could use your AI to do that you know; it is every bit as capable as mine.”
“Just do it!”
“I was al
ready on it. If you check with your AI you’ll find it is building a map from information the drones are gathering, our AI’s are working together. They’re using sensor information to work out the most likely route and mapping DNA samples from skin cells that have been shed and from particles breathed out, though if the kidnappers are very smart they may be leading a false trail. We are standing on the entrance to the tunnel system, a camouflaged field is holding us up. My AI has told me there’s a gravity tube under us, it’s a bit like an elevator but you can’t see the floor.”
“I know what a gravity tube is, I’m not a bloody moron!”
“Lighten up will you? Whose side do you think I’m on!”
Her face softened. “Sorry Mark, I’m a bit on edge. Just – just be patient with me.”
“OK, I’ll speak to the team. You decide how to deploy us.”
“No, I’ll speak to the team, we’ll stay in the formation we had here.” she said. “Would you control the drones please and update everyone with maps, planned route and sensor data?”
“Of course. Your AI can over-ride the Herassan locks on the tunnel entrance, I’m going to have a word with the Major then go on ahead and meet you in the tunnels.”
Mark walked over to join the Major who now had several dozen soldiers around him. The Major turned to Mark and said, “I am not accustomed to being ordered about by a visitor! Your General could learn some manners!”
“I’m really sorry Major, Hess An Sur is more than a friend to the General, she has been under her protection for a long time, and I promised her I would give her my personal protection, so feelings are running high at the moment.”
“I should think she would be under your protection as you have been long term lovers!” the Major replied coldly.
Mark smiled. “We aren’t lovers, Major, but we are very close friends. I don’t know if it has any meaning to your race, but Hess An Sur is like a sister to me. To a human, that means we have a very special, close relationship, but definitely not lovers.”
The Major harrumphed. “So why did she say that?”
“She is a little mischievous.” Mark said with a smile. “It is part of her charm.”
“She never had a reputation for charm while she lived at the palace, and I can’t say that from what I have seen of her, she has mellowed.”
“It’s all a front Major, she is terrified of having to take over as First of the First.”
“Yes, well, I suppose I can see why. She was always a willful child. As First of the First she will have no freedom, no time to herself. The citizens see her as being very privileged, but the fact is, when she was here she was trapped in a gilded cage, and when she ascends to the throne as First of the First, and she will - she has no choice in that, she will have no choices in anything that she does until she abdicate or dies. Believe it or not, I have some sympathy for her effort to escape her destiny, but the future of the Herassan Empire depends on her fulfilling her duty.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it Major, but first we must find her and get her back safely. The General was right when she said her team are experienced in hostage retrieval, and with her army’s rules of engagement, your soldiers would be safer not joining us. Keep the lockdown active Major. I have technology that will bypass your security, so it will not impede us, and I will ensure that all locks and defenses are reset when we have passed through.”
“I didn’t realize that the General’s army had such technology.”
“They don’t, but I do. As a Friend of the People I have access to all their technology. There is very little their technology can’t do, apart from being able to see through battle fog.”
The major smiled. “Sometimes low technology overcomes high technology.”
Mark nodded, turned and stepped over to the gravity tube.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Pursuit
“I have a drone at the first intersections of the tunnel we are in.” Mark’s AI told him. “I have the feeds from the Palace security systems so if they try to open a door, I’ll know, and I’ll stop them. We have them trapped.”
“Good work Kate.” Mark answered. “Hold station with the drones until we’re all assembled. We should do this as a team. Is there any kind of trail you can follow?”
“There is a fairly fresh trail of DNA which goes past the drone down the tunnel to the right of the gravity tube, but there is no residual infra-red above the background, which along with fact that the skin particles with Mike’s DNA have signs of having been frozen and defrosted lead me to believe it is a false trail laid some hours ago using very old DNA samples. There have been no drones along this section of the tunnel, so I have no sensor data to work with, but I conclude that they have taken the left hand tunnel, but we’ll see as soon as the drones come towards us.”
“Let’s not waste any time, as soon as Sally has deployed the team, get them moving pronto. When they meet the kidnappers, hold station and relay the image feed to the entire team.”
Sally, Touren, Bekkreshan and Seltet came down the gravity tube, quickly followed by Simon, Kar Fen and Orange. A few moments later Ranesh stepped out.
“Is everything OK, Ranesh?” Mark asked.
“No. They’ve got Mike.”
“Apart from that?”
“If they’ve hurt her, I’ll kill them all.” Ranesh said, in an emotionless voice.
“And if she’s unhurt?”
“I’ll kill them all.”
“I’m glad we’ve got that sorted.” Mark said. “Listen up everyone, We’ve got a stealthed drone at the first intersection on either side of where we are in this tunnel, and my AI is hooked into the Palace security system. It will detect any attempt by them to open a door or use a gravity tube and prevent it. There are no security cameras down here, as a precaution to prevent any would be assassins hacking in and seeing where the Court are in the event of an attack. As soon as Sally has deployed us, I’ll bring the drones here.
Sally gave her orders: “Seltet, Ranesh, Bekkreshan, you’re with Mark and me facing left. Orange, Kar Fen, Touren and Simon take position facing right. I’d like to take at least one of the kidnappers alive, but your first priority is to ensure the safe recovery of Mike. If the kidnappers come to us before we spot them, engage them on sight. If one of the drones spots them first, the team facing them will lead. If it’s my team I’ll take point, if it’s you,” she said, nodding at the others, “Simon takes point. OK Mark, as soon as we’re all in position, bring the drones in.”
The team hurried into place, getting into defensive formation.
“OK Mark, go!”
The drones set off from their positions and swept through the tunnel, arriving quickly to meet up at the defensive positions by the gravity tube.
“Well, where are they?” Sally demanded.
“I don’t know.” Mark said. “They seem to have vanished into thin air.”
“It’s bloody obvious.” Simon said. “They’ve got past the drones – or they went past the points where the drones were before they got into position.”
“My AI tells me they couldn’t have. A few drones followed the First of The First and his guard down into the tunnel system soon after the first battle fog grenade detonated. They flooded the tunnel system dropping off a drone at each intersection. They haven’t explored the entire system yet, but the intersections in this area were covered quickly, the kidnappers wouldn’t have had time to get to them – and before you say anything, the security logs don’t show any doors have been opened in this section since well before we arrived on the planet, or any activity in the gravity tube apart from two people descending just before we did.”
“Yeah,” growled Simon, “Well, I don’t believe in magic, so they must still be down here.
“Kate,” Mark said to his AI, “Get as many drones here as you can to do a detailed sensor scan of the tunnels radiating from here, with the main focus between here and where the drones were. We know Mike came down the grav
ity tube, there must be some trace of where she’s gone.”
“Indeed there must. Drones will start arriving in the next couple of minutes. I have set the two that are here now to start a close scan of the tunnel to the left. I am confident that’s the route they took.”
“Is there any chance that the drones have been compromised by the kidnappers?”
“None at all. The people’s technology is at least twelve billion years more advanced than the Herassan’s. It would be much more likely that an amoeba could outwit the most sophisticated human defensive systems.”
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