She jumped when a metallic squealing noise came from the lobby. Seconds later, the elevator doors opened. Moving into a crouch, she watched through a gap in the mechanical room door. Two Breaker sentries exited the elevator and casually investigated their immediate area, then looked down the hallway. She tensed, prepared to make a quick getaway to the catwalk, but then relaxed when the Breakers retreated and positioned themselves on each side of the elevator. They were on guard. But on guard for what? One stared directly down her hallway, watching the outer stairwell door. They’re waiting . . . for Kane. They know he’s here! Mhara’s heart rate jumped. She desperately wanted to get to him. But the only way out of the mechanical room was by the hallway or the catwalk. Her chest tightened; she felt trapped. Maybe she could find a way to distract the guards, split them up, and take them down one at a time.
She had just started to look around the mechanical room for something she could use to create a diversion when a speaker crackled and a voice spoke in the robotic language. Coming from a wireless communicator carried by one of the guards, the message was brief. The Breakers turned and pressed the elevator call button. When the elevator arrived, they entered and the doors closed behind them.
Just like that, they were gone.
Mhara knelt, stunned. The conclusion was obvious: Kane had either escaped or was captured—or worse. She pushed the maintenance room door open, then pulled her handgun, marched down the hall, and brazenly entered the tower stairwell. It was empty. She leapt up the stairs, not caring what awaited her. But as she climbed, it was deathly quiet, and she had a dim foreboding that the fight had already moved on. Inadvertently following Kane’s same path, she made her way to the last stairwell door. She pressed her ear to the door and waited. Satisfied that no one was waiting on the other side, she pushed it open slowly, then moved into the hallway and stopped at the first door she came upon. After pausing again to listen, she entered the command center and stepped cautiously onto the balcony. Walking along the balcony railing, she looked over the room below for any signs of Kane. Her sharp eye noted the only thing out of order: the executive chair at the far end of the room was lying on its side. She leapt down the stairs and made a beeline to the fallen chair, where she found sliced tape on the floor and more stuck to the chair arms. Upon closer examination, she pulled several long, red hairs from a twisted length of tape. A picture of the likely scene took shape in her mind. Kane had found Charly—and she was a lure that he couldn’t resist. But where were they? There were no signs of a struggle. In a desperate hope that they had avoided capture, she started looking for any clues that Kane might have left for her to find. After checking the command center, she went to the observation deck but quickly dismissed it as an escape route; it was a drop of several hundred feet to the skylight, and there were Breaker patrols below. Backtracking, she investigated the kitchen, the office, and the executive suite; no one was there.
Feeling as if every second mattered, Mhara ran to the stairwell opposite the one she had just climbed and descended it until she reached the skylight level. She entered the tower and sped down the hallway to the elevator hub, around the circular corridor to her own elevator lobby, and to the maintenance room where she had been hiding. Nothing. Next she ran up the catwalk as far as the exit into the central mall cavern. Nothing. Kane wasn’t there.
She sank to her knees on the catwalk and slumped, the windy cavern air billowing the loose hairs that had fallen out of her braid. Kane was gone and she was alone. I cannot despair. I cannot! she urged herself. Think, Mhara, think.
Seconds later, she had reached a conclusion: There were no signs of a fight, so either Kane escaped some other way or he is in the Breakers’ custody. Both possibilities gave her hope. She had no choice now but to make her way to the rendezvous point alone and go from there.
But she was exhausted. They had been awake all night, and it was probably late morning by now. Knowing she was vulnerable to making critical mistakes, she made her way back to the maintenance room, took a drink, and curled up on the floor. Sleep was elusive as she wrestled with anxiety. Solace finally came with her memories of the children playing in the playground, and she fell asleep.
22
Day 4
0900 hours
Tower, Alto Mair
Charly clung to Kane as they rode down the tower elevator, positioning him between Rakaan and herself. “He killed Arthur,” she whispered.
“What?” Kane asked, not believing what he had just heard.
“He killed Arthur,” she said, louder and defiantly.
Rakaan growled at her. Kane glared back at him. Rakaan chuckled and looked away. Kane turned back to Charly. “Did he hurt you?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head.
He did a visual check and didn’t see any injuries, but it was clear that she was emotionally drained and afraid of Rakaan. This affirmed his recent choice; he could protect Charly now. And being with her eased a great burden that he had been carrying ever since she was first captured.
His thoughts turned to Mhara, and he felt a pang of guilt for leaving her. She would be distraught, filled with questions, feeling abandoned—and very pissed. But pissed was good. She would follow his path and discover an empty tower; then she would make her way to the rendezvous point, hopefully to regroup with their last at-large team member. To assuage his guilt, he told himself that she was much more capable than Charly, that Charly needed him more. He even imagined Mhara saying, “I agree, Kane. It was the right choice.” The thought made Mhara all the more endearing. I just wish I could figure out how to rescue two damsels at the same time.
The elevator stopped and the light on the control panel indicated they were on the ground floor. As the doors opened, Rakaan addressed the sentries in their robotic speech and then exited the elevator onto a plaza swarming with Breaker activity. Their guards stayed, the elevator doors closed, and they continued down to the first floor below ground level. Exiting the elevator, the Breakers led them through several corridors and into a hub, where they finally stopped at a double door guarded by four sentries. Their escorts opened the doors, pushed Kane and Charly through, and locked the doors behind them. There, in the middle of the room, were the other hostages. They jumped up with a mixture of joy and disbelief on their faces.
Javier and Laura rushed to Charly and wrapped her in a three-way hug; Rakaan had taken her away the night before without any explanation, and they had feared the worst. Kane connected with his team members. Rhogan looked as healthy as ever. Tygert had obviously been the one with the bandage that Kane had seen from overhead. A dried red stain was visible on top of his head.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I bumped my head on a Breaker’s butt,” Tygert said when Kane gave him a questioning look. “But, I’m proud to say that it was a whale that shoved me.”
Kane laughed and gave Tygert a hearty handshake. “Good to see you, Captain.”
“Do you know anything about Thorin or Mhara?” Tygert asked.
Kane scanned the room, looking for signs of surveillance equipment. Seeing none, he stepped close to Tygert and whispered, “Mhara is alive, but they don’t know that. She will be making her way to the tower rendezvous point. Do you have any idea what has happened to Thorin?”
“No. After the boat exploded, Super 3 saw him moving toward the city wall, with Breakers chasing him. Then a rhaji fell right behind them and rolled. We have no idea if he survived.”
Kane held up a finger. “Excuse me,” he said. Then he walked over to where Charly was standing behind Javier, gazing warily at Super 3.
“That is Super 3,” Kane said. “He’s part of our rescue team. He’s one of the good guys.”
“You’re kidding me. Super 3?”
“It’s short for Supervisor 3.”
“Nifty. Is there such a thing as a good-guy robot?”
“This one saved most of the other hostages.”
“Really? Do you like him?”
“Actually, I do.�
��
“Then I like him.” And with that, she walked up to Super 3 and introduced herself. Kane smiled, proud of her. Then he watched as Tygert tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and gave him a big hug. Kane joined them mid-greeting.
“And, I’m very happy to see you, young lady,” Tygert was saying. “You had us worried. I’m fine,” he added when her gaze drifted to the cut on his head. “Just had a little tussle with a whale and a Breaker.”
Her eyes widened. “A whale?”
Before Tygert could tell his story, Rhogan stepped forward to introduce himself.
“I’m Rhogan. You must be Charly. I’m pleased to meet you.” He paused, looking a bit sheepish, but seemed determined to say something he had planned. “On behalf of the colonists, I want to apologize for the manner in which you and your friends were brought to our planet and the grave dangers you have been exposed to. I can only hope to be half as brave as you have been. In any case, I am now here to serve you as best I can.” He caught his breath; he was done. Now he looked awkward, clearly not knowing what to do next.
Charly stared at him and then looked to Kane. “Is he for real?”
“Rhogan is from this planet. He’s one of the colonists who were in suspended animation when we got here. They woke up just before Rakaan took you from Alto Raun.”
She stared at Rhogan. “You don’t look like an alien.”
Everyone laughed except Charly and Rhogan.
Rhogan shifted his feet uncomfortably. “Even though we are from different planets, I assure you: I am just as human as you.” He extended his hand to her, palm up.
Cautiously, Charly poked Rhogan’s palm with her finger. Everyone laughed again, this time including Rhogan . . . and finally, Charly. She took Rhogan’s hand in hers and gave it a firm handshake. “Glad to meet you, Rhogan.”
Rhogan’s face beamed. Kane felt a sudden impulse to step in between them, but Charly grabbed Kane’s arm and pulled him over to meet Javier and Laura.
As soon as introductions were made, Charly and Laura began chattering about the events of the prior evening. Once Charly was clearly distracted with their conversation, Kane took Javier aside and asked him what had happened to Arthur.
Javier conveyed the story and then added, “I told the others before you guys got here, but you should know too: I’m pretty sure Charly feels like it’s her fault. She’s trying to hide it, but I think she’s really hurting inside.”
Some Breakers brought in several trays of fruit, bread, soup, and drinks, and the group gathered at the table to eat. They spent the next several hours sharing stories from the last few days. Arthur’s name came up, but no one spoke of his death.
When heads started to nod, Tygert called an end to the day, sending everyone off to sleep. Charly guided Kane to a bed next to hers and pushed the two closer together. Then Kane watched, amused, as Rhogan quickly took the bunk on the other side of her. He recognized the heart of a protector when he saw one, and it garnered some respect in Kane’s eyes.
When the lights went out, the group quickly fell asleep as Super 3 stood watch at the bunkroom door.
23
Day 4
2000 hours
Tower, Alto Mair
Mhara woke stiff from sleeping on the hard, cold floor. She stretched, then climbed the maintenance stairwell to the catwalk overlooking the central mall. It was dark outside, but she had no idea what time it was. After a drink and a couple of bites of an energy bar, she started her journey to the rendevous point, making her way back through the maintenance room, down the hallway, and into the tower stairwell.
The rendezvous was a laundry processing room two floors beneath the central mall, near the base of the tower, and easily reached from several directions. The rescue team had chosen it because it was unlikely that the Breakers would have any use for it. If the area was occupied, an alternate rendezvous point was a mechanical room on the same lower level but located a little farther out from the tower.
Mhara slowed and tensed as she approached the ground floor. She could hear Breaker activity outside and was thankful that they didn’t seem to have a use for this particular stairwell. She descended further until she reached the end of the stairs, two floors below ground level. She pushed on the only exit door; it creaked and she cringed. She slipped into a circular hub connecting several hallways. A single, dim light flickered intermittently overhead. With her back hugging the wall, she took a minute to let her eyes adjust. The area was clear. She started toward a hallway to the far left.
When she was halfway across the hub, a motorized whirring sound echoed from a hallway to her right. She froze in her tracks and caught her breath as a robot entered the hub. It was a tread-based, nonverbal maintenance drone. Fairly dilapidated, it lurched its way across the hub, ignoring her, and exited via another hallway. She ran. Pulling on her night vision goggles, she entered the dark hall that would take her to the laundry room.
She didn’t encounter any other robots, and it didn’t take her long to figure out why. The lower level was extremely damp and hot—an unhealthy climate for any Meken. The musty smell caught her by surprise; it was overwhelming at times, and she had to cover her nose with her sleeve for relief. Other than the distant, muted sounds coming from the central mall two floors above her, the only thing she heard was the dripping of water. Working from memory, she retraced her path twice before she found her destination: the left half of a double door with half of the word Laundry stamped into it. The other half of the door was completely gone.
She tiptoed into the laundry room and found a vast, empty space; most of the laundry equipment was gone. It made sense that the Breakers would harvest the machinery for other purposes. She scanned the area but found no signs of life. That doesn’t mean no one’s here, Mhara reminded herself. They could be hiding, waiting for the signal. She pulled a micro flashlight from a pocket in her trousers and removed her goggles. She was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. Pointing the flashlight to the far wall, she sent one short flash, one long flash, and two short flashes. She waited. No response. She repeated the signal to each side of the room. Nothing came back.
Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and sighed. Her body ached; the stress was taking its toll. She drank from her water pack and pulled out a half-eaten energy bar. She almost choked when a white beam of light signaled one short, one long, and two short flashes onto the ceiling in the far left corner of the room. The same flashlight beam then arced to horizontal, slowly turned, and scanned the room, stopping when it found her. With the light focused on her chest, the bearer of the flashlight began moving across the room toward her. She felt a wave of relief. When the flashlight stopped a dozen feet away, she called out.
“Who is it?”
There was no answer.
Mhara turned on her own flashlight—and screamed. Staring back at her was a rusty, metallic face, a black circle around one eye. Reaching for her gun, she started to run, but two more lights came on, one at the laundry room door and a third to her right, deeper in the room. With the wall at her back, she was trapped.
“You should not attempt to fight us,” the Breaker in the doorway said.
“Go ahead and run,” the first Breaker said, stepping closer. “I’d be happy to shoot you.”
Knowing that she was not skilled or strong enough to take on three sentries, much less one, she dropped her weapon to the floor and stood with her hands palm up and open.
“Too bad,” the first Breaker said. “I had forgotten that humans could show some common sense.”
“But they are cunning,” the third Breaker said, from deeper in the room. “We must watch her closely.”
Atticus will be pleased we have captured her,” the first Breaker gloated. “He might even promote me.”
“You mean, promote me,” the third Breaker said. “It was my idea to watch this area.”
“What?” The first Breaker again. “It was Atticus who told us to watch this area. I am the one who spotted
her.” He stepped forward, grabbed Mhara’s arm tightly, and jerked her toward the door. She yelped in pain and stumbled forward. “Let’s go,” he growled.
The Breaker in the doorway moved quickly and caught her before she fell. “You should not injure her,” he said.
“Why do you care?” the first Breaker said. “Or are you a sympathizer now?”
“Atticus will be displeased if she is injured.”
“True. Although I don’t understand why he cares. But we could have a little fun and tell him she was injured trying to escape.”
“We will not do that.”
“Who are you to tell me what I will or won’t do?”
The doorway Breaker ignored the challenge and directed Mhara out the door and into the hall, headed back toward the central tower. “We do not have time for that,” he said finally, stepping in between Mhara and the other Breakers. “Atticus’s orders were clear: to return immediately if we captured a human.”
“You’re no fun. And I think you’re a sympathizer,” the first Breaker called after them.
Mhara’s escort did not respond, but pressing her back gently, he moved her down the hall. Despite the throbbing pain in her bicep, Mhara was paying close attention to the exchange between the Breakers. Fun? How would a sentry know what fun was, much less long for it? And there was such bitterness in their voices; these were things she never imagined hearing from a Meken. But one word had particularly caught her attention: sympathizer. She felt a glimmer of hope when she realized that her escort had exhibited compassion, subtle as it was, and was clearly protecting her from the others. Was there a crack in the Breaker unity? She wondered if she might find a real sympathizer among them. Now that she was captured, the hostages would need help from anywhere they could find it. Perhaps it might come from a most unexpected source.
24
Day 5
0800 hours
Hostage compound, Alto Mair
The Last City (The Ahlemon Saga Book 1) Page 20
