Miranda carefully slid inside, by the provided layout there would be an armory three doors down the hall from the entrance in what used to be a janitorial closet. Miranda counted doors and found it. That was the easy part. It took much longer for her to hot-wire the lock, find the sleep gas canisters and a few other essentials, and then to locate an air duct that led to the room where the Djheens had collected.
Miranda set the canisters to discharge simultaneously on reaching their target, programmed them to home in on the Djheens’ position, and shoved them into the air duct. Miranda silently made her way to the main auditorium entrance, stopping just short of the ticket booth to wait for the Djheens to lose consciousness. After that was done she found she wasn't too far ahead of schedule. Outside it was as near to full dark as made no difference.
“You ready?” Kindy’s mental voice asked finally pushing through into Miranda’s consciousness. Miranda flinched at the sudden shattering of her thought, half afraid those she was about to incapacitate would hear. Tightly focusing her thoughts on Kindy alone Miranda answered sharply, “Not quite.” She strained to listen for the Djheens as one by one they fell prey to the gas. “Soon, let me get these people out before starting the diverting part.”
Miranda put on a gas mask and rushed into the room as soon as her senses confirmed the unconsciousness of all the Djheens. Quickly, she used bindings appropriated from the weapons locker. They would hold them but not for long. Miranda snatched the keys to the auditorium and rushed to release the prisoners.
With her fingertips, Miranda felt the door while unlocking it. It vibrated with hushed and fearful conversations on the other side, all of which silenced when the lock clicked loudly open. Miranda stepped in, and heads turned fearfully towards her. Several hundred, dirty rag-dressed refugees huddled in close clusters on the sloping floor which had been stripped of seats, and carpeting; mothers hugged their children in near suffocation grips to their chests, and two men stood defiantly close to the door wielding boards ripped from the stage.
The two men took menacing steps towards Miranda, backed suddenly by four more rising from the huddling groups. The lead male, wearing an impressive beard and six inches in height more than Miranda growled, “You aren't going to take us out without a fight!”
Miranda removed the gas mask and dropped it on the floor. “I am, but not in the way you think! This is a rescue people!”
The men visibly hesitated then the bearded guy waved his board violently at Miranda, “Why should we believe you? You probably just want to have the excuse of shooting us while trying to escape.”
“Yeah, right, that’s why I’m wearing these flea infested rags! Buddy, the darkones don’t bother with excuses they just kill, as painfully as possible. Now let’s get a move on. The shields are down the doors are open and the guards are momentarily incapacitated. It comes down to this, you stay here you die. If I’m lying you’re no worse off, but if I’m telling the truth you’re free. If you don’t trust me, you can stay here and wait to die. Otherwise come on, I’m getting out of here.”
The board buddies looked at each other briefly. They nodded and dropped their makeshift weapons. “You heard the woman! Shake those legs!”
“Follow me,” Miranda yelled opening the doors and propping them that way. She raced down the hall reaching out with her senses to make sure the way was still clear. Behind her the men helped channel the evacuation into orderly chaos. Miranda stationed herself just outside the front doors of the building to manage the flow there. People streamed out flooding to the gates shaking them open and racing out into the concealing night beyond.
Miranda watched and felt an internal clock ticking away the time until the first Djheen awoke. “Come on people! Get it moving! You really don't want to be here when those Djheens wake up and get loose!” Busy herding her rescuees out the door, Miranda caught the sound of a voice she recognized. Instantly she began scanning faces for the threat.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Standing in the empty room that had been full of refugees yesterday, Ben shuffled his feet and smiled at Tina, who had remained silent since the call confirming his mission. Tried though he might, Ben couldn't read from her face the cause of her silence. “So, now you’re mad at me?”
Tina jerked and blinked at him, then shamefacedly stared at the factor-pack dangling idly from Ben’s left elbow. “No, just jealous, and sick and tired of being treated like glass.”
“I’d thought we’d solved this, you are the...”
“Yeah, I know. It just takes an adjustment,” Tina flipped her face up to glare at Ben.
“And you had to ask why I got drunk?” Ben sighed and shook his head from side to side. He looked up to see a smile had returned to Tina’s face.
“Too bad you have a crush on that mystery lady,” Tina replied.
“Ooooh, gossip, what mystery lady?” Daniel howled entering just in time to catch Tina’s comment. Daniel’s face was once again clean shaven, and he was casually dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, a T-shirt and a leather jacket. He handed Ben a matching jacket, which Ben put on without question. “No, don’t tell me, the one that tried to kill him. I know that’s what attracts me to a woman.” Daniel pinched Angela, who followed him through the door into the room.
Angela swatted the offending hand and tossed a streamlined bag that was almost all zippers to Tina. Tina took Ben’s factor-pack and tucked it inside a silver zippered opening on the new one and zipped it closed.
“It works on the same zipper code as the other one, the silver zipper pull replaces the buckle.” Tina whispered to Ben while handing him the new and much lighter pack.
“Thank you Tina, you may go.” Angela said with a slight and insinuating smile.
“Not on your life cuz’ I’m here on behalf of medical services, to present you with the official medical authorization and to see to it you are taking his medical interests into account. Gene sent me.” Tina replied, firmly crossing her arms across her chest and rocking back on her heels. Ben had to smile at her obvious delight, and Angela’s surprised discomfort.
“Cool,” Daniel said drolly filling in for Angela’s speechlessness, “Ben we are going in near cold on this case. There aren't any factors stationed there and what few reports we have are spottier than a Dalmatian.”
“Yes,” Angela said recovering from Tina’s blow, “So I've authorized emergency >porters for this mission. “She pointed to the bulbous zipper pull extension on Daniel’s jacket and to its matching cousin on Ben’s.
“Yank in case of emergency,” Tina supplied during the benevolent pause Angela had left for Ben to examine both pulls, “Are they mutually keyed?” Angela stared at Tina and nodded in answer. “Ben that means that if you opt out his >porter will activate too, and vice versa.” Tina continued quickly. Ben sensed a frustrated haze forming behind Angela’s eyes regarding Tina. He almost warned the girl but he realized she probably could pick it up from Angela’s slightly reddening face.
“Any other questions, BEN?” Angela asked in a tone very much conveying his name in all capital letters.
Ben started to shake his head, but the gesture was interrupted by Tina. “Nope, I think he’s good.” Tina answered, blatantly needling Angela. Ben wanted to cheer at Tina, instead he just nodded in confirmation towards Tina.
“Cool, so we head out,” Daniel grabbed Ben’s arm. “See ya soon Angie baby,” Daniel said with a smile and a wave at Angela, then he teleported away, pulling Ben along.
Ben nearly puked when they arrived at their destination after several instants worth of motionless motion, which seemed far worse and longer than Ben’s trip to Sanctuary. As it was he doubled over briefly from nauseated vertigo. For the most part the nausea passed, but a sensation of the rapid motion of the world beneath him remained for a few minutes.
Daniel offered Ben a steadying hand, but didn't comment until Ben’s legs stabilized. “Sorry, Ben, I could have given you a few minutes and maybe warned
you before I did that, but those two were about to get into it if I didn't get you out of there. Tina seems to be taking a possessive shine to you. That kid won’t be a kid for much longer, and Angela better get it through her skull before Tina hands that skull back to her.”
“It’s okay,” Ben said, trying his best not to let Daniel receive the idea that Ben wouldn't mind Tina maintaining the upper hand on Angela.
“I know you’re rooting for the kid. Have you discussed your feelings for her with her?”
“Yeah, she knows I think of her as the baby sister I never had,” Ben answered finally recovering enough to attempt a look around at his surroundings. They were in an alley, or what would have been an alley, had the buildings on either side fully survived. It was nearly full dark, but there was enough light to see by coming from sporadically placed fires in oil drums, and the rare flickering street lamp.
“Ready to get moving?” Daniel asked stepping to the mouth of the alley.
“Yeah,” Ben answered swiveling his head too fast, setting it spinning, “I think.”
Daniel retrieved a medicine bottle from his jacket pocket and tossed it to Ben. “Take two, they dissolve under the tongue. I should have stopped on a neutral world, instead of dragging you here in one jump.” Frowning, Daniel shook his head.
“It’s okay,” Ben fumbled with the bottle in the dark. Finally getting it open he popped two of the tiny irregular shaped purple tablets under his tongue. They tasted of grape, and dulled Ben’s telepathy to the point he finally realized the horrendous telepathic dissonance of the place had caused most of his discomfort. “Whoa, how do you stand it?”
“Sometimes not well at all, that’s why I've got those. You have now experienced the telepathic footprint of the darkones. Remember it, and try to get used to it. You can’t afford to dull your telepathy on many worlds, especially if you go out solo. I really shouldn't have let you this time, but I need you functional more than I need a second pair of watchful ears.” Daniel held his hand out for the bottle, tucking it back away in his pocket quickly. “Let’s get moving, our arrival may have drawn attention.”
Ben nodded, this time his world refrained from spinning. He joined Daniel at the head of the alley. As they walked cautiously down the street, what he saw brought home with vicious certainty the truth that this was as much his world as Daniel and Angela had explained. Across the street stood the stairway and what was left of the facade of the library where he and Miranda had met. To his right were the ruined remains of The Pax Hotel, down to the decrepit sign, now fallen to the concrete in front of the entrance.
Ben looked behind him, north, and knew from the destruction that his apartment no longer stood. Or should he think of it as his alternate’s apartment? The idea of another Benjamin Kindel, was one Ben suddenly wanted to avoid. “Where now?”
“Hey, man, that’s why I brought you. Where do you think we can glean the most information?” Daniel shrugged.
“Not the library that’s for sure.” Ben answered wryly. He wracked his brains. While searching his memory banks, Ben felt the ghost of a telepathic voice which sounded very much like his own.
He couldn't make out the actual message, but he did pick up the response, “Not quite.” The voice was stronger and feminine, and it felt like it was aimed at him, “Soon, let me get these people out before starting the diverting part.”
“Did you hear that?” Ben asked nudging Daniel.
“Hear what?”
“Me-my alternate, and someone else having a conversation,” Ben said pointing towards the direction from which he picked up the woman’s thoughts, “A telepathic conversation.”
“No, do you think we should head there?” Daniel stared off in the direction Ben had pointed, “There are a lot of panicked people that way, and an intense concentration of dark ones.”
“Yeah, I mean, if she knows me- my alternate, she’d probably talk to me right? And it did sound like she knew something about this place,” Ben answered.
“Then let’s get moving.” Daniel said cautiously making his way in that direction.
Ben followed from one area of concealment to the next. He knew they were nearing the place as they began to encounter increasing concentrations of freshly terrified people. Ahead he saw a floodlit school surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
“Dark prison camp.” Daniel supplied.
“Whoever she is, she’s in there,” Ben confirmed feeling her strong presence.
Daniel nodded and moved closer, beginning to struggle against the tide of people. Ben fell into step behind Daniel, trying to avoid being separated. He failed, somehow ending up ahead of Daniel.
“I thought you said we were the only two factors on this world!” Ben stopped, having reached an eddy in the tide of people coming from the structure.
“We are, I guarantee it.” Daniel paused losing his forward momentum in the throng.
“Then who the heck did all of this?” Ben yelled back towards Daniel as he watched his partner shoved back by the throng.
“That would be me.” Miranda answered having appeared suddenly behind Ben.
Ben turned rapidly towards the possible danger, “And you are? You!'
Her eyebrows drew down into a frown as she pursed her lips, “Is it really you? How did You get here?”
Ben jerked a thumb towards Daniel's bobbing head in answer to her question, then gestured at the fleeing throng, “You did this?”
Daniel came up short when he finally muscled his way to Ben, “Isn't that?” His question derailed their exchange.
Miranda and Ben turned to him growling in unison, “Yes!”
“You weren't on your way in there were you?” Miranda asked Ben with a tender smile of camaraderie.
“Yes.” Daniel answered grudgingly
“I would change my mind if I were you. There are several Djheens in there, and when they wake up they aren't going to be in the mood for a guided tour.” Screams emanated from within the structure and the fleeing throng dried to a trickle. Then stopped as the last few fell dead in the entryway. “Get moving they are awake!”
“We can handle it,” was Daniel's blithe insistence.
“No you can't! There aren't too many who have gone up against one of them and gotten away alive.”
“There are two of us. We can handle it.”
Miranda glared at Daniel as though he were a patent moron. “That is just spiffy, but there are at least five of them in there,” Miranda locked eyes with Ben, “I didn't save your life for you to throw it away!”
“I think we need to listen to her.” Before Ben had even finished, speaking three Djheens came tearing out of the structure.
They stared down the trio before teleporting to surround Ben. Ben braced himself for the attack but it didn't come. Instead, there was Miranda trying to take on all three by herself, and succeeding. Ben was impressed, and distracted by it.
Daniel, on the other hand, leapt to action. He clubbed the nearest Djheen with his fists doubled about each other. Another Djheen, fresh from inside the building, and armed with a particle beam weapon leveled it and shot Daniel while he was busy struggling with the first. His yelp of pain was enough to finally rouse Ben from his absorbed distraction enough to activate his, and by proxy Daniel’s, emergency teleporter.
After an agonizing demi-infinity in motionless motion, Ben and Daniel finally burst out into the white room. Daniel’s eyes rolled back in his head. He crumpled to the floor and Ben rushed to his assistance. Gene got there first.
“What happened?” Gene ripped open Daniel’s jacket and shirt using a small cutting tool. Daniel’s shoulder was mottled purple, red, and black with what looked like a festering yellow bullet wound at the center of the bruising. Gene’s face soured, “What color was the beam?”
“Purple, I think, or blue,” Ben answered.
“Which was it, purple or blue!” Gene growled hunting through his medical kit.
“It was blue,” Daniel answered, his eyes flutter
ing open again.
“Thank god!” Gene yanked a small device from his kit and set it over the yellow sore which had grown visibly during the exchange. Gene tapped the face of his watch, “Tina, get here with a stretcher!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trying to hold her own against three Djheens absorbed nearly all of Miranda’s attention, but she didn't miss seeing the Djheen hit Daniel with the beam, or Ben and Daniel’s abrupt departure. However much it relieved her to see them retreat to safety, that relief was short. Their escape left her the only remaining center for the Djheens’ fury. Momentarily Miranda hoped that the one with the rifle would shoot her too, but apparently that Djheen could count since she just grinned maliciously and tossed it aside.
With no real hope against the five Djheens, Miranda still managed to take two out of the fight, before the tide turned their way. The first one Miranda took down with a more deliberate version of the kick she had used on Dichen during her escape. Miranda incapacitated the second Djheen as the result of a blow to another, the two Djheens skulls collided and one of the women tumbled to the ground.
“You ready yet?” Kindy’s voice echoed in Miranda’s skull to the tune of a ringing blow from the fist of one of the Djheens.
Miranda saw stars and cursed herself for not keeping him up to date. “How inconsiderate of me not to inform you that the diversion had begun!” Miranda shouted at him mentally, as she dodged another blow, “I guess I was just busy not getting killed.”
Splitting her attention like that wasn't a good plan. Neither was standing still for an instant to listen for his response. During that pause the fight went from un-winnable to over, as she missed the arrival of three fresh Djheens from within the building. They took advantage of her distraction and leapt on her as a team. Two dove for her feet, knocking them from beneath her. An additional two grabbed Miranda’s arms and flipped her onto her stomach binding her hands behind her. The fifth grabbed Miranda by her hair and yanked her to her feet, where the sixth drove the breath from Miranda’s lungs with a stiff jab to her gut.
Eyes Love & Water Page 19
