by JN Chaney
As soon as we entered, a man behind a small counter got to his feet. He asked Alphonse to press his thumb to a small, flat device. The Constable did, and a green light beeped. “Clear,” the man said.
That must have been the blood test, I thought.
The retinal scan came next, just inside the next hall. Alphonse bent forward and a blue line swept across his face. “Identity confirmed,” said the facility’s A.I.
Abby and I proceeded through the door, right after him. When we were finally through the short series of identity tests, the doctor turned and said, “Shall we begin in section six?”
“I’d prefer thirteen,” Alphonse answered.
Dressler seemed surprised. “So soon?”
Alphonse nodded. “As I said, we have little time to spare, Doctor. Let’s begin with the essential properties and work backwards. I want to make certain that we cover the necessary inventory, should I need to cut the inspection short.”
“Cut it short?” she asked.
“There is a situation in a nearby system that may require my attention,” lied Alphonse. “In the event that I am needed, I would rather have already examined your essential inventory.”
“If I might be so bold, Constable, what sort of situation is it?” she asked.
“A classified one,” he remarked. “One that I am not at liberty to discuss. However, I will tell you it is a matter of public safety.”
She paused. “Terrorism?”
He smiled. “You are astute, Doctor. Very good. I’m afraid I can speak no more of it, though. I’m sure you understand.”
“I do, of course,” she said, returning his smile. “Please, follow me, sir.”
I had to say I was pretty impressed with Alphonse’s ability to make shit up on the fly. He had a talent for this sort of thing, which was probably why he’d been recruited to be a Constable in the first place.
Dressler led us to an elevator, using her thumbprint to activate it, and pressed the button for the thirteenth floor. I stood there, quietly, along with Abigail, wondering just what the fuck I was thinking when I agreed to come here.
I thumbed the butt of my pistol, for no other reason than to double check it was still there. I hated being this close to the Union.
The doors opened and I felt a sweep of cold air brush across my cheeks. It felt ten degrees cooler.
“Right this way, Constable,” said Dressler. “You’ll find everything the same as your last visit.”
We stepped into a cross-shaped hall, with a corridor on each side as well as a long hallway directly ahead. It ended with a massive set of double doors, twice my size.
I wanted to ask why anyone needed a door this big, but kept my mouth shut.
Doctor Dressler approached a small scanner on the wall and pressed her eye to it. “Identity acknowledged. Please proceed,” said the A.I.
The doors opened, sliding apart. What I saw on the other side gave me pause.
It seemed to be a massive storage facility, with shelves and crates as far as my eyes could see. There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of rows here. A brief glance at the nearest one showed a familiar item casually resting in a small bin—an old Earth-relic, tagged and marked for later reference. It seemed our suspicions had been correct and the Union really was collecting their share of artifacts, probably for decades, if not longer.
If Freddie had been here, I could only imagine his response to all this. Or Hitchens, for that matter. Maybe they could have made sense out of some of these old trinkets, because I certainly couldn’t.
But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t steal a few.
“Straight ahead, please,” said Dressler, staring at me. I’d apparently been so caught up with my surroundings that I forgot to keep up.
Once I was back in line, the doctor continued forward, leading us to the rear of this massive compartment.
There was no door there, but an opening, leading into a small room no larger than the lounge of my ship. It contained nothing but shelves on all sides, with a table in the center.
Dressler walked to the far-right corner. “Verdan,” she said.
“Yes, Doctor,” said the A.I., her voice coming from above us.
“Open Vault 2771,” said Dressler.
I almost asked why anyone needed 2771 vaults, but stopped myself.
“Proceeding,” said Verdan.
The shelves in front of Dressler clicked, pulling back into the wall, then moved sideways. How many hidden rooms do we have to get through? I thought, as the doctor motioned for us to follow.
Inside, the room was largely empty, surrounded by smooth walls. The only object was a single crate at the center of the floor. It was quite possibly the most pristinely designed space I’d ever seen.
I distrusted it instantly.
Dressler tapped a small screen on the surface of the crate, entering what must have been her authorization code. A light click followed, and she took a step back. “There you are, Constable Malloy.”
“Very good,” said Alphonse, walking closer to it. As he did, both halves of the lid separated, pulling up and apart.
I felt for my pistol, staying ready for any unexpected shit that might befall us in this underground deathtrap.
Alphonse leaned over the box, eying its contents. “It appears the item is intact,” he said.
“As you can see, it is still the same as the last inspection,” said Dressler. “Shall we move on?”
The Constable paused, looking at me. “I supposed now would be the time.”
I glanced at Abigail, who gave me a slight nod, signaling she was ready.
“Yes, well, I’ll need to reseal the material,” said Dressler. “Please, excuse me.”
She took a step toward the box.
I took a quick breath. It was now or never.
“That’s far enough,” I said, pulling my pistol out from inside my jacket. “Back up!”
“E-Excuse me?” she said.
“I think you heard him,” said Abigail, lifting her own pistol out from under her shirt.
Dressler looked at Alphonse. “Constable?”
“I’m afraid it’s a robbery,” said Alphonse, frowning. “So sorry, Doctor.”
“Hands up,” I ordered.
“Th-This is outrageous! Do you have any idea what kind of security measures we have in place around this facility?” asked Dressler.
Abigail grabbed the doctor by her wrist and pulled her close to her waist. “That’s why you’re coming with us.”
“Well, that’s not the only reason,” said Alphonse. He reached into the box and lifted up a thin, green object. It looked like a tube of some kind, sealed on both ends and filled with…something. Alphonse handed it to me.
I examined it closer in my hand. It had a cloudy look to it, like there was smoke inside. “This is it?” I asked.
“Were you expecting something else?” asked Alphonse.
“I don’t know,” I said, cocking my eye. “Maybe a shiny gem or a giant orb?”
“They have both of those down the hall,” he said. “Would you prefer it if we stole those, too?”
“Are they worth anything?” I asked.
“If they’re in this building, they’re worth something. In fact—”
“Hey!” snapped Abigail, tightening her grip on the doctor. “Shouldn’t we find a way out of here?”
“Oh, right,” I said, stuffing the ancient fuel cell into my leg pocket. “Which way, Doc?”
Dressler squirmed against Abigail, uncomfortably. “If you think I’m helping you steal that, you can forget it. Verdan! Initiate security procedure Beta-Gamma-Six-Two-Nine!”
“Proceeding,” said Verdan. “Informing Security Forces have been dispatched.”
Alphonse’s eyes widened. “Oh, no.”
I Fucking knew it, I thought.
And here I was, hoping to get out of this place without any trouble.
I pulled my pistol up and cocked the hammer back, aiming it at the doctor’s fore
head. “You’d better fix whatever the hell you just did.”
Alphonse reached his hand out at Dressler. “Listen to him, please. That man is a trained Renegade. He’s not bluffing.”
“A Renegade?” she asked. “Constable, what are you doing with this man?”
“I put a bomb in his belly and forced him to follow me,” I said, motioning to Alphonse’s belly. “If he tries anything, those guts of his will end up all over your clean walls.”
“There’s a bomb?” she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief as they fell on Alphonse’s waist. “You brought a bomb into this facility?!”
Alphonse nodded. “You see the situation now, don’t you? I had no choice.”
“If you detonate a bomb in here, do you know what kind of chaos you’ll unleash? The materials on this level alone are—”
I leaned forward and pressed the barrel into her chest. “Then you’d best do as I say, lady, and help us get the fuck out of this place.”
She furrowed her brow at me. “You had better take that gun out of my face!”
I paused at her tone. She had spunk. I’d give her that much.
“We need to move,” said Abigail, shoving the doctor forward. “Those security officers will be here any second.”
“She’s right,” said Alphonse. “Shall we retreat?”
I stared at Dressler, who stared right back at me. “Fine,” I said, after a short moment. “Try anything else and you’re done, Doc.”
“I’m no fool,” she said. “You’re going to kill me no matter what I do.”
“Wrong,” I countered.
“If you help us, we’ll let you go,” said Abigail.
“What’s it gonna be, Doc?” I asked.
She hesitated to answer. I could see the gears turning in her head as she weighed her options. Help a group of thieves or risk getting killed here and now. “Fine,” she said at last. “There’s another lift through the main warehouse, back the way we came. It leads to a second security checkpoint on the surface.”
“How about you call off the guards first?” I asked.
“I can’t,” she said. “Once they’ve been activated, they have to perform a full check on the identified location.”
“We need to hurry,” said Alphonse. I was surprised to sense a bit of anxiety in his voice.
I glared at Dressler. “Where to?”
“If you can get to the lift, the security system won’t stop you,” informed Dressler. “It’s on a separate network, used only for emergencies.”
“What’s the catch?” I asked.
“You’ll need my authorization to use it,” she said.
“Of course we do,” Abigail said.
I crept up next to the doorway, peering through to the previous room with the shelves and into the main warehouse. “Let’s head out,” I said, motioning for the others to follow. “Everyone, stay behind me. Try not to get yourselves shot.”
* * *
We fled into the warehouse at the exact same moment that the elevator opened. Seven soldiers poured into the atrium, fully-armed and ready to stop us.
“Back up!” I barked, as soon as I spotted them.
The lead guard shot a burst in my direction, tagging my shield and causing it to flicker. “Shield at 90%,” said the automated voice inside my ear, a copy of Athena’s, although I knew it wasn’t her.
I ducked behind the wall, back inside the storage room. “Everyone, stay!” I told them, grabbing Alphonse by the shoulder and slamming him against the shelf beside me. The force knocked an object onto the floor, an old artifact of some sort.
Several more shots came through the opening, keeping me from moving. “They’re using suppressing fire to keep us in here,” said Alphonse. “I would expect a second group to move in soon.”
“No shit, Constable,” I muttered, checking my pistol, then raising it beside the doorway. “Abby, stay here and keep these two locked down. I’ll be back.”
“Is he serious?” asked Dressler, peering up at Alphonse.
“Shut up,” said Abigail, still gripping the woman’s wrist. “Let the man work.” She looked at me, nodding. “Go.”
One of the soldiers was moving between two rows in the warehouse, coming toward us. “Be back soon,” I muttered, then dashed into the gunfire.
A bullet struck the shield around my leg, lighting me up for a brief second and draining my energy to 80%. Not a problem, so long as I was through.
I ran to the nearest soldier, between the two rows of artifacts. I shot him twice in the chest before I was even on him, then collided with his body and slammed him into the nearby shelves. He wheezed when I struck him, and I finished him quickly with a bullet to the head.
I sprinted from there and slid when I reached a gap between the rows, firing two shots and hitting one of the soldiers in the leg. He screamed, causing the others to return fire, but I was already behind the second row.
I leapt to my feet and continued running. What I wouldn’t give for some grenades right about now.
I could see the soldiers moving on the other side of the shelves, heading towards me. Immediately, I dropped to the floor and got off a quick couple of shots, hitting two of them in the feet, ripping their boots to shreds and destroying their fucking bones. That’ll slow them down, I thought.
In a quick scramble, I scurried back up and dashed forward before they had a chance to realize what the fuck was going on.
A second later, a spray of gunfire shot up the spot behind me, exactly where I’d been lying, knocking several priceless artifacts to the floor, filling the warehouse with ear-piercing noise.
“He’s on the move!” shouted one of the guards. “Head to the rear!”
I reached another gap in the rows and took a hard right, away from the soldiers. I’d have to lose them if I wanted to keep this going.
Can’t stay in one place for too long, I thought. These bastards won’t stop until they bleed me dry.
Before I could enter another row, I heard a gunshot from behind, followed by the flickering light of my shield and the automated voice, saying, “Shields at 65%”
I reacted with a quick turn, dropping in the process and sliding. I extended my pistol, waiting until I had the pursuing guard in my sights, and then fired.
The bullet struck him in the stomach, and he staggered, but only for a moment. These guys had body armor, enough to protect their abdomen from one or two shots. Before he could react any further, I followed it up with another one, this time at his skull.
He collapsed on his knees, dropping the rifle, and fell forward.
I was already moving, turning back around, toward the room where Abigail and the others were waiting.
Two soldiers came up behind the corpse. “Friendly down!” shouted one of them.
A spray of bullets followed me as I ran.
I took multiple hits, sending my shield into a frenzy, lighting it up so much I thought it might break. “Shield at 30%,” said the voice in my ear.
I reached the end of the row where the first soldier was lying dead, then turned to see Abigail and Alphonse watching me from inside the room.
There were still soldiers in the open area of the warehouse, and they didn’t hesitate to fire when I burst through the rows.
I ran to the room, firing blindly at the guards, less concerned with hitting them than just getting the fuck out. “Shield at 10%,” said the voice.
“Your turn!” I snapped as I reached the room, barely getting inside before my shield gave out.
Several bullets struck the wall to our right, across from the open doorway.
Abigail took Dressler by the hand and pushed her behind Alphonse. “Stay,” she ordered, then looked at me. “Watch them while I handle the rest!”
I was on the floor, back against the wall in a reverse-prone position. “You got it,” I said, wheezing from all the running.
Abigail burst into the bullet storm, instantly taking fire. Her shield lit up, but she was already shooting, p
opping one soldier in his chest before he had a chance to understand what was going on.
The two men who’d been chasing me arrived from between the rows, charging at her. They fired as they came, managing to get two shots on her shield before she retaliated.
With the pistol in her hand, she reached for her electric baton, activated the charge, and stabbed one of the men in the stomach. He fell to the floor and spasmed like he was having a seizure.
She extended the baton, brought it up above her head, and slammed it across the second guard’s neck.
I heard the crack from all the way inside the room where I was watching. “Ouch,” I muttered with a cringe.
In only a few seconds, both men had been incapacitated.
Abigail turned her attention to the only remaining soldier. He fired his rifle, sniping her shield—first in the stomach, then in the shoulder.
Abigail lifted her pistol, began marching towards him, and squeezed the trigger.
I heard two shots, out of view, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.
The nun returned a second later, casually reentering the room. “Everyone ready?”
