Archangel

by Scott Harrison

  Tobin slammed his fist down angrily on the edge of the communications console. ‘You’re lying, that’s not what you said. I’ve done everything that has been asked of me, I will do no more.’

  ‘I want Blake!’ the hologram shouted angrily, causing the speaker-grill to crackle with white noise. ‘I want Blake and I want that ship. If I don’t get what I want then neither do you, it’s as simple as that!’

  He was trapped. Tobin knew it now.

  At first he had believed that he could make this deal work for him, turn it around to his own advantage. And if he was clever he could use it to get back what the Federation had taken from him all those years ago—his son.

  But at what price? He was betraying a friend, leading him to his death—or maybe something worse. Not only that, but he was condemning a lot of good people, too; people that actually mattered. The only people who had made any real difference since the colonial uprisings.

  ‘They told me that you’d become obsessed with catching Blake,’ Tobin said. ‘But I refused to listen. When I was a Federation officer, murdering scum like you would have been hounded out of Space Command.’

  ‘Probably, Tobin, probably.’ And the hologram nodded slowly, the anger now gone, replaced by the wide, shark-like smile once more. ‘But that was such a long time ago, things have changed so much since your time.’

  There was a pause, and for a moment the projection rippled and wavered like a reflection cast across the surface of water.

  ‘Now, let’s discuss this one last thing that I need you to do, shall we?’

  And for the sake of his son, Tobin knew he had no choice but to listen.

  *

  The data just didn’t make sense.

  Admittedly there were gaps in the information that Orac had managed to pull from the central archives. Most of it had been cobbled together from partially deleted files or ship manifests, but even so there was still nearly two years of Tam’s life unaccounted for.

  According to the unofficial records—files that were never meant to be seen by eyes outside of the Administration—Kodyn Tam had been taken to the holding facilities north of the Dome and held there for interrogation. Inquisitor Lerran had been assigned to do the actual interrogating, which probably meant that it had been quick and it had been painful.

  Of all the interrogators and torturers working on Earth right now, no-one enjoyed their work with quite as much relish as Lerran, Blake thought, grimly.

  Obviously Kodyn had told them what they wanted to know. It was inevitable really, once Lerran had become involved. He’d not told them everything, but what he had told them had been more than enough. Then he had disappeared. Vanished without a trace. Just like that. Nothing seen or heard of him for twenty long months.

  Until he turned up in the prisoner lists on Sigma Minor.

  So, he is alive, thought Blake. Not even the Federation was stupid enough to dispose of a Grade 2/A cybernetic engineer. Someone of his skill, with his qualifications, would always be needed in some dark corner of the Federations oppressive regime.

  ‘Sigma Minor is supposed to be a terrible place,’ Vila chipped in cheerfully. ‘Full of subversives and deviants, sent there to have their brains altered by the best psychomanipulators in the business.’

  Jenna shook her head. ‘You’re thinking of the alteration facilities on Pharrox.’

  ‘No, Sigma Minor was first,’ Vila said. ‘Apparently they had to build the facilities on Pharrox to cope with the overflow from this place. That’s what my old mentor Vorash told me, shortly before he was shipped out there.’ He paused, considering this. ‘Or did they send him to Pharrox?’

  ‘It’s a pity he wasn’t sent there before he met you. At least then we’d have been spared his conspiratorial claptrap,’ Avon said.

  ‘Sigma Minor seems to have been Kodyn Tam’s home for the past three years,’ Blake said. ‘Fortunately for us—and despite what Vila’s friend may have believed—since the discovery of destrilium beneath its oceans ten years ago, it has operated as a joint labour camp and ore-cracking station, using the inmates as a slave labour workforce.’

  ‘I suppose it keeps them out of trouble,’ Avon said.

  Vila was suddenly paying attention. Something in Blake’s last statement had struck him as more than a little worrying. ‘“Fortunately for us”? Why “fortunately for us”?’ he asked.

  ‘Several years ago,’ continued Blake, attempting to ignore the interruption, ‘Sigma Minor was downgraded from a maximum-security facility and over 40 percent of its security forces were redeployed to other facilities. Presumably on the pretence that its inmates will be far too exhausted after a long day’s undersea mining to even contemplate escape.’

  ‘Why should it matter to us one way or the other what security arrangements Sigma Minor chooses to make?’ asked Vila, his eyes wide.

  ‘Unless I’m very much mistaken, we’re about to make one of our famous rescue attempts,’ said Avon, his eyes suddenly locking onto Blake’s. ‘Or am I misreading the situation?’

  ‘As far as I’m concerned our deal still stands,’ Blake told him. ‘We do nothing unless we’re all in agreement. But, let’s just say that for the moment, I’m very interested in what happened to Kodyn Tam between his disappearance from Earth and his reappearance here. I would say it is almost certain that he was working on Project Archangel. I would like to ask him in person. Does anyone have any objections?’

  Up on the screen the scrolling column of data had wiped itself away, to be replaced by a grainy, 3D schematic that tumbled restlessly end over end.

  ‘The layout is remarkably straightforward,’ Blake said, ‘with security being pretty much what you’d expect for a facility such as this—sensor pads, remote air cameras, parameter guard posts…’

  Vila groaned. ‘Listen to him, he talks as though we do this sort of thing on a daily basis.’

  ‘We do do this sort of thing on a daily basis, Vila,’ Cally replied.

  ‘But nothing on this scale,’ Vila argued. ‘We’re talking about a fully-armed, security-heavy prison complex. It’ll be full of liars, cutthroats and murderers. And that’s just the guards.’

  ‘Look at it this way,’ Avon said. ‘This could be your big opportunity to die heroically for the cause.’

  ‘Nobody’s going to die, Avon. Not today,’ Blake said. ‘However, having said that, this complex does have one particular feature that gives me cause for concern. Orac, please relay all relevant data on Sigma Minor’s energy barrier.’

  ‘The energy barrier was initially designed by Emil Noon during his groundbreaking work on energy manipulation and how it can be applied to interstellar propulsion. He discovered that the gradual excitation of notronic particles formed a continuous, tight web of heavy…’

  Vila held up his hand and silenced the computer. ‘If we have to listen to this can we at least have it in a recognisable language? Or, failing that, in words that I can understand.’

  ‘You may also want to use simple diagrams and illustrations,’ Avon told the computer. ‘Or, better still, glove puppets.’

  ‘No, Vila’s right,’ Blake conceded. ‘Skip the history, Orac. Let’s just deal with how the barrier might affect us.’

  Orac continued, ‘Owing to the unique and quite remarkable nature of its structure, the energy barrier that surrounds the complex has a dual purpose. Not only is it designed to serve as a forcefield, similar in nature to the Liberator’s own force wall, but the formation of the molecular signature acts as a potent dampening field. While it is active, neither communication signals nor teleportation beams may pass through it.

  ‘Unfortunately for us, the field is active pretty much all the time. It’s only ever switched off when Civil Administration vessels land inside the complex.’

  ‘And I’m guessing that there are none scheduled to make planetfall any time soon?’ said Cally.

  Blake shook his head. ‘The last shipment of new prisoners was delivered there three days ago. A supply run
isn’t due for another three months.’

  ‘So what are we meant to do?’ asked Vila. ‘Walk up to the front door and knock?’

  This amused Blake. ‘It’s a nice idea, Vila, but I’m pleased to say we have something much better up our sleeves. Something that is unique to this ship, and can’t be found anywhere else in the entire solar system. Something so brilliant that it is guaranteed to get us into that labour camp.’ Blake pointed to Vila and then to Avon. ‘We have the greatest lock picker in the quadrant and the most talented computer expert who ever lived. What more could we ask for?’

  The laughter came as a surprise to Blake. It took him a moment or two to realise that it was coming from the direction of the co-pilot module and not from Vila’s flight station.

  ‘Your constant supply of optimism and sheer bloody-mindedness never ceases to amaze me, Blake,’ Avon said. ‘You really won’t be happy until you’ve got every last one of us killed, will you?’ The smile slipped quickly from his lips. ‘Despite all your talk of democracy and letting everyone have their say, you really go out of your way to make it difficult for us to say no. One might even go so far as to say impossible.’

  ‘Do I take it that’s a no from you?’ Blake asked.

  The smile returned to Avon’s lips, although it failed to reach his eyes. ‘You know it’s not, Blake.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  A thin, cold mist was creeping in off the sea as Blake and Jenna teleported down to the planet’s surface. Their forms had barely finished coalescing before they’d started to run the short distance across the sand towards a low collection of rocks.

  Blake pulled a pair of binoculars out of his overcoat pocket and thumbed the power switch. With a hum, they sprang to life and he lifted them to his eyes, cycling through until the lenses were at full-magnification.

  Through the sheet of hissing rain, Blake could just about make out the air-cams as they zoomed in and out of the perimeter line, scanning the surrounding area for thermo-heat signatures. Beyond that was a line of dark, low-roofed buildings that had been arranged to form a sort of cruciform shape. If Orac was right, these were the main detention cells and Kodyn Tam was in there somewhere. Although exactly where was anyone’s guess.

  With a sigh, he lowered the binoculars and handed them across to Jenna, pointing through the rain in the direction of the low-roofed buildings.

  ‘If I’d have known the weather would be this nice, I’d have visited here a lot sooner,’ said Blake, cuffing the rain from his eyes with the sleeve of his coat.

  Jenna swept the binoculars slowly along the length of the perimeter fence, frowning as she thumbed the magnification controls. ‘So far I’ve counted over half a dozen airborne cameras patrolling this side of the camp alone.’ She lowered the binoculars and glanced across at Blake. ‘Assuming there’s a similar number stationed along each side of the camp perimeter…’

  ‘Then we could be in trouble,’ Blake nodded solemnly. ‘All we can do is hope that Avon and Vila get their job done quickly.’

  They kept themselves low as they broke cover, all the time keeping their eyes and weapons fixed on the perimeter fence. At the top of the ridge the beach ended abruptly, giving way to an uneven surface of cracked concrete slabs beyond. The thing had probably been a parade ground once, or a loading area for prison transporters, it was hard to tell. Either way, it was obvious that the area was now disused, bordered on all sides by thick tangles of wild grass.

  Blake threw himself down into the grass, indicating for Jenna to do the same. He crawled forward on his stomach, moving with careful deliberation, until he reached the edge of the paved area. Slowly, he pulled the clumps of grass aside and peered through. From here he could see the side entrance to the camp along with the manned security checkpoint. Its barrier was just opening, allowing a squad vehicle through.

  From the brief glimpse he’d got of the vehicle, as it had rumbled slowly forward and disappeared through the gateway, Blake estimated that there were at least two dozen troopers inside. Maybe more.

  Blake activated the communicator on his bracelet, his voice barely above a whisper. ‘Vila, this is Blake. Do you read me?’

  After twenty seconds Blake tried again, but still there was no reply, only white noise.

  *

  The sun seemed always just about to set on Sigma Minor. That was one of the many things Vila hated about the planet. Trying to work in a state of perpetual twilight filled him with utter despair.

  Although, if he was being honest, at this precise moment that particular irritant was slightly lower on the list than the one standing in front of him right now.

  The thing Vila really hated about Sigma Minor was the heavily-armed Federation troopers that were trying to kill him.

  The trooper was standing a few metres away by the door to the security station, his helmet tucked beneath his arm, the muzzle of his laser rifle pointing directly at Vila’s heart.

  ‘You must be wondering what I’m doing here,’ Vila said, trying his best to sound casual. ‘I’m a bit lost, you see. I’m trying to get to Capra Xindi but I think I must have taken a wrong turn at the Antaris Cluster.’

  He realised that he still had his left boot in his hand and was waving it in the air as he spoke. He stood up, only to quickly sit back down again as his sock squelched in the muddy earth.

  Unimpressed, the trooper took a step forward. ‘Shed the weapon.’ He indicated the ground in front of Vila. ‘Throw it down there. Slowly.’

  Reluctantly Vila did as he was told, sliding the gun from the belt and tossing it towards the trooper’s feet, then he held up his hands to show that they were empty. Except for the boot, of course, he was still clutching that in his right hand.

  ‘Do you mind if I put this on?’ Vila waggled the boot. ‘It’s a bit on the chilly side down here and I think my foot’s going numb.’

  The trooper inched closer, towards the discarded weapon, all the time his eyes were on Vila.

  ‘As long as you keep your hands where I can see them, I don’t really care whether you put it on or not.’ The gun twitched as Vila’s hands dropped. ‘Nice and slow, now. You don’t want me to get all edgy and accidentally put a bolt through your chest, do you?’

  The trooper stopped as he reached the spot where Vila’s gun lay, hesitating for a moment, before tossing his helmet to one side. Then he reached down. Fortunately for Vila, the trooper didn’t see Avon until it was too late.

  Avon dashed out of the trees, kicking the armed man just below the ribs, knocking him off balance. The Federation trooper rolled away, winded, the rifle flying from his hand and bouncing away into the undergrowth.

  Avon lunged again, but this time the trooper was ready for him, ducking quickly beneath Avon’s grasping hands. His body slammed against the ground, arm outstretched, as he reached for Vila’s discarded gun.

  In desperation, Avon swung a boot at the ground, hoping to kick the gun away, but he was too slow. The trooper snatched the gun up just in time, swinging it around towards his attacker.

  Avon pushed himself forward, using his entire weight to catch the other man off-guard, groping blindly for the hand that clutched the weapon, struggling to keep the end of the barrel away from his body and out of harm’s way.

  Stars exploded across his vision as the trooper lashed out with his head, connecting sharply with Avon’s nose, causing him to stagger backwards and his legs to buckle beneath him.

  Then the trooper was on his feet and swinging the gun upwards, levelling it at Avon’s head, squinting along the barrel as he took careful aim.

  Avon closed his eyes and waited for death.

  When it didn’t come he opened his eyes again, just in time to see the Federation trooper collapse slowly to the ground, eyes wide with shock, mouth gaping in a silent scream.

  Vila stepped away from the dead trooper, dropping the bloody knife as though it was white hot. ‘Well don’t just sit there,’ he hissed, staring with distaste at the blood on his hand. ‘Help me hi
de the body before we’re discovered.’

  Avon pulled himself painfully to his feet, snatching up Vila’s gun on the way. ‘Occasionally there are times when I’m almost glad to know you.’ He thought about this for a moment, before handing the weapon across. ‘Thankfully the feeling doesn’t usually last for very long.’

  They hid the body in the long grass, then clambered up over the rocks and down towards the rear of the security station, careful to keep out of sight of the air-cams that hummed noisily above the perimeter fence.

  As they ducked out of sight behind an outcrop of rock, the bracelet on Vila’s wrist trilled suddenly, causing him to almost yelp in surprise.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Blake’s hushed voice crackled from the tiny speaker. ‘Why weren’t you answering my call?’

  ‘We’ve been a bit busy.’ Vila said. ‘Avon’s been making friends with the natives.’

  ‘Well get on with it.’ Blake was not amused. ‘So far we’ve counted four patrol units in the area. Any more and that energy barrier will be the least of our worries.’

  Vila cut the connection as Avon scouted ahead, cautiously clambering down the rocks towards the edge of the perimeter. The area was clear. So far the dead security trooper had not been missed, although for how long it would remain this way he simply didn’t know.

  Avon signalled for Vila to follow him, then turned and headed for the open door of the security station. He paused on the threshold just long enough to check that Vila had started his descent down the rocks, before spinning on his heel and slipping quickly inside.

  *

  Base Camera Alpha 6—Exercise Yard

  A paved quadrangle in front of the main building. Two uniformed men walk by, both are armed, one wears a helmet but with the visor flipped up, the other is bareheaded. They stop briefly, exchanging a few words, then something is passed secretly from one to the other, something small, a piece of technology. It is slipped into a pocket, out of sight. The men go their separate ways.

  CUT TO:

  Base Camera Gamma 44—Level Delta, Cells 25—40