by Regine Abel
So far, so good.
He handed me a small package that contained doronium crystals. Or rather, what looked like them and would fool any scanner into believing they were. They were in fact zomoran crystals. Once attached to any weapon, they would multiply the damage output tenfold.
“Tamara has cleared security,” Miko said, using Tamryn’s fake identity. “She’s dropping something on the way, and then she’ll meet us at Bantas.”
“Let’s head over there then,” I replied.
We were saying those words in case anyone was eavesdropping on us, which I highly doubted. However, better safe than sorry. We hurried to the famous Tarkis pub where many a deal had been concluded. Miko and I settled on the small terrace outside, in the front row seat for the show that would follow shortly.
Seven minutes later, Tamryn’s sexy silhouette turned the corner as she strutted her way towards us, with a good ten to fifteen minutes to spare before our target would drive by. As much as I would have preferred a brutal breaking and entering, we needed to be stealthy about this mission.
Tamryn sat next to me, and we flagged the waiter to bring her a light alcoholic drink, just like ours. This early in the day, it wouldn’t raise any suspicion because patrons rarely went for the strong stuff since they wanted a clear head to negotiate all remaining business.
“Target incoming,” Shalla’s voice suddenly said in my earpiece. “I’m on my way. ETA one minute ten seconds.”
A glance at the others confirmed they too had received her communication. We continued to chat away nonchalantly, our every sense on high alert. Thirty seconds later, the transport vehicle pulled into our street. At the other end, Shalla also popped up, racing down the road in the opposite direction. With perfect timing, she set off the electric spark on her speeder, sending it into a tailspin before it crashed against the transport vehicle. The latter had abruptly stopped, slightly veering right to attempt to avoid the collision in vain.
As one, my companions and I jumped out of our seats, rushing towards the scene while the driver hurried out of his vehicle. He reached Shalla’s side, who was curled up on the ground moments before Miko caught up with them. Tamryn and I circled around the truck, her hand casually leaning on it to place the tracking tag while I went to recover the speeder that had slid a short distance away.
“Are you all right?” the driver exclaimed, crouching next to Shalla.
Shalla shook her head, as if stunned, and tried to sit up. “Yeah, just shaken a bit,” she mumbled. “That fucking piece of shit speeder had it in for me…”
They both looked in my direction. I picked up the speeder by its handles and led it after me. Although it still hovered, it clearly didn’t want to fly straight.
“Help me up, will you?” Shalla asked, passing an arm over the driver’s shoulder without waiting for his response.
The driver immediately complied, supporting Shalla with his own arm around her back, while Miko held our secret ally’s other arm. With an award-winning performance, Shalla appeared to waver for a second on her feet before stabilizing herself.
“Thanks, guys,” she said, before giving a sheepish look to the driver. “Sorry about that. I hope I didn’t mess up your vehicle.”
At that instant, the driver finally realized that he was somewhat surrounded with Miko towering over him and Shalla, Tamryn standing a few meters behind me, and me closing in on them with the speeder. He swallowed hard, casting a nervous glance at his vehicle before eyeing the gawkers that were observing from a distance.
“His truck looks fine from here,” Tamryn said nonchalantly. “It’s your speeder you should worry about. I doubt you’re going anywhere else with it.”
“Right,” Shalla said, looking dejected.
“Let me go check the truck,” the driver said, obviously eager to get away from us.
I exchanged a look with Shalla while handing over her speeder. She discreetly blinked to confirm she had successfully placed the spy cam in the fold of his shoulder. While the driver quickly inspected the front of his truck, also checking that no one had tampered with the cargo in the back, I interfaced with the camera. My subtle smile confirmed to my team that I could indeed see the camera feed through the heads-up display of my retinal implants.
“I’m all good here,” the driver called out, standing close to his vehicle door. “You’re going to be okay? I kind of need to get going. I’m on a tight schedule, and the big boss doesn’t kid around.”
“I’ll be fine,” Shalla said with a grateful smile. “Sorry again for the inconvenience. I was on my way to buy a new one anyway. May the rest of your trip be less eventful.”
The driver gave Shalla a relieved smile, jumped back in his vehicle, and took off.
“Take it easy,” I told Shalla, before going back to Tamryn’s side.
Hand in hand, we returned to our table on the terrace where Miko joined us shortly after making sure Shalla ‘was all right’ after such a tumble. The gawkers also scattered, many looking disappointed at the absence of blood and gore. But I had no time for them, too busy scanning the inside of the driver’s vehicle for any information that could be of value to us, like access codes or maps of the building.
There was only a delivery manifest with the times, gates, and ID of the packages that were to be delivered in each location. The driver delivered the third package in the building we wanted. It was perfect to give us a bit more time at the pub as us leaving right after the incident would have raised suspicions. Still, when the driver reached the security gate of the delivery entrance, the guards gave him some extra scrutiny as his abrupt and unexpected stop along the way had been logged in their system. Thankfully, the driver’s sincerity, the brevity of his stop, and the still sealed doors of his shipment convinced the guards to let him proceed. The whole time, I tracked everything the driver saw, including the access codes to the various buildings of the facility he entered.
“Let’s go,” I said after paying the waiter.
We hurried to the weapons plant, entering through the front door like any patron or main floor employee. The guards manning the front desk didn’t bother people coming and going as they mainly provided information to those asking for directions. Restricted areas either required codes or keycards. Miko separated from us. As a genius hacker, his job was to facilitate our access to the bowels of the base and to create a diversion if things got hairy too soon.
We headed to the shipping and delivery department, timing ourselves to arrive at the same time someone was coming out. I could have hacked the lock but didn’t want to risk exposing us this early on. Boxes, packages, and a slew of weapons filled the place. Dozens of people buzzed around, handling the goods, enough to equip an entire army. We made our way to the large elevators at the back which led to the underground, walking with confidence, as if we owned the place. Despite the few distracted glances occasionally cast in our direction, no one really paid us any mind. They worked for a ruthless employer, and no one would think anyone foolish enough to try anything against Grellik.
A series of neatly packed crates next to the elevators awaited their turn to be brought down. I made a beeline for the hovercart they sat on top of and pushed it inside the lift. Tamryn picked up a different, smaller package and followed me in. I punched in the code the driver had previously used to bring his delivery down into the secured base. The doors closed, and Tamryn popped into her mouth the antidote pill Haelin had provided her for the gas Miko would soon release through the ventilation system. Although the nanobots flooding my system would quickly dissipate the effect of the gas on me, I decided to play it safe by taking one as well. No point in straining them needlessly, especially with me about to potentially enter battle.
“I can’t wait to get out of here and get some fresh air. It feels a little stale right now,” Miko’s voice said through my earpiece.
This was his coded way of informing us the safety mechanisms on the ventilation systems were deactivated, and that he’d begun releasi
ng the gas inside the base. Tamryn and I exchanged a triumphant smile but didn’t reply as we couldn’t risk being overheard.
“There should also be some eye-popping surprises any minute now,” the hacker continued. “Our guys have been receiving a few notifications.”
Translation: the gazers would soon begin to attack the power generators and computer systems of the spaceport. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Once down in the base, Tamryn and I could only roam around for so long before raising suspicions. Our only chance was for everyone to be out of commission or focused on something else.
When the elevator doors parted, the security guard at the desk right next to it lifted his head to see who was coming out. His gaze slipped over my face, barely seeing it, although it lingered half a beat on my imposing frame before settling on the hovercart laden with crates. He absentmindedly looked at Tamryn before doing a double-take. The lecherous once over he gave her made me want to punch him in the throat. She politely nodded at him before going on her way in a different direction than me. The guard reciprocated the gesture, but she’d already moved on. That didn’t stop him from ogling the firm globes of her perfect behind as she turned into the hallway left of the guard post.
We had no idea where the Cyborg was being held. Splitting up would allow us to cover a greater area faster without pushing our scanners too much to detect the distinctive hyperalloy that coated a Cyborg’s skeleton. I could only hope that the gas would knock out most of the people here before anyone realized what was happening.
I walked past a series of research labs with large glass windows that gave a clear view of most of what was happening inside. I kept advancing, my scanner still not picking up anything. I hated not being able to communicate with Tamryn, or with anyone else from my crew for that matter. As a Cyborg, I’d been spoiled being able to communicate mentally through my closed neural network. Now, I felt crippled.
But all somber thoughts fled from my mind as I reached the final junction of the corridor. Far to my left, the corridor dipped into a small decline leading to a massive set of reinforced doors. There was no question in my mind they were holding the Cyborg in there. The presence of another guard post by the entrance of that secured room further validated my suspicions.
I made to enter that corridor when movement at the edge of my vision caught my eye. One of the men working inside one of the development labs waved at me through the glass window. I cursed under my breath and stood still. The man quickly exited the room and walked up to me.
“Those appear to be the crystals and other parts I’d been waiting for,” the man exclaimed, his tone slightly accusatory. “Where are you going with those?”
“I’m looking for room F-48,” I said apologetically. “This is my first time delivering down here.”
“Ah, right,” the man said, his tone softening. “No wonder you didn’t look familiar. Come, it’s this way. You can bring them over here. I’ve been eager to get my hands on these little beauties.”
I followed the man a short way towards the reinforced doors. Just when Tamryn emerged from a connecting corridor and walked up to the guard post next to our destination, the wretched man turned into another hallway. Grinding my teeth, I continued trailing him, but not before casting a meaningful glance at Tamryn.
I was reflecting on my next course of action once I’d lost my excuse to roam the hallways when the man wavered on his feet.
Finally, the effects of the fucking gas are starting to kick in.
“Are you okay?” I asked with pretend concern as the man rested his palm on the wall for support.
“Y-yeah… I’m fine. I just got dizzy there for a minute,” he said, shaking his head as if to dispel the fogginess overtaking him.
He straightened and resumed walking with an attempted steadiness, but the hesitancy of his steps couldn’t be denied. He waved a card in front of the security lock of room F-48 and hurried inside.
“Hey, Toby! Perfect timing! Have you seen this craziness going on at the spaceport?” asked an attractive woman in her early forties from the desk where she sat at. “Come check this out!”
“Craziness?” repeated the man I’d been following—apparently named Toby.
But he didn’t come to her workstation, heading instead to the one I presumed to be his and letting himself fall in his chair. He looked pale, a little sweaty, and his eyes glossy.
“Yeah, there’s all kinds of alarms going off there,” she continued, still staring at her screen. “They’re talking about evacuating the damn place!”
She turned to look at her older colleague but was surprised to find he had not approached as she’d requested. Her excited expression faded as she took in Toby’s appearance.
“Evacuation?” I exclaimed, playing the curious gossiper. “Did another drunk idiot crash-land into one of the shuttle hangars, like that… Garelian was it… a few years back?”
“No… it’s some sort of…” The woman’s voice faded as she stood to approach her friend. “Toby, are you okay?”
“No, my head is spin—”
The poor man never finished his sentence. As he lost consciousness, his head hit the top of his desk with enough force that he’d likely get a solid headache and a nice bump when he came to.
“Toby!” the female exclaimed, rushing to his side.
She never reached him. If not for my quick reflexes, she would have collapsed to the floor as well.
“What… what’s happening?” she asked, looking a little disoriented.
Playing the part, I carried her back to her chair, placed her in it, then quickly stepped away, acting worried.
“You tell me what the heck is going on!” I exclaimed, looking through the glass windows at the people in the other rooms also starting to display signs of dizziness. “What’s happening to all of you people? What kind of weapons are you developing down here?!”
“We don’t make those kinds of weapons,” she said, her words beginning to slur. “There must be something in the air.”
She fumbled towards her keyboard.
“The air and temperature control panel doesn’t show anything wrong,” I said, pointing at it on the wall by the door. “Did you guys eat something bad, or are you sick? Do I need to get out before it spreads to me?”
“I… I…”
She never finished her sentence, and I didn’t wait for her to do so. In the adjoining room, people were dropping left, right, and center. I just hoped they hadn’t set off any alarm, although I couldn’t hear any at the moment. That didn’t exclude the possibility of a silent one.
“Miko, status,” I spoke out loud through my com to the hacker, while heading out of the room.
“You only have a few minutes before they figure out something is going on,” Miko responded. “Right now, Grellik is sending most of his troops to the spaceport. But there have been multiple remote access requests to the basement’s camera feeds. I believe it’s coming from him. I’ve been replaying earlier footage, but it’s only going to fool them for so long. And… Fuck! I need to move. Hurry!”
Miko spoke those last words in an urgent and hushed voice. I couldn’t do anything for the operative, other than complete this mission as quickly as possible. If that Grellik was as cunning as Haelin believed him to be, his blossoming—and accurate—suspicion that the events at the spaceport were just a diversion meant we’d likely get company sooner than later.
I hurried to where I’d last seen Tamryn. My heart skipped a beat when I found the hallway empty and the doors still closed. I jogged to the guard post, not daring to call out to Tamryn in case she was in a precarious situation, then saw her coming right out of that room. Her eyes connected with mine, a triumphant grin stretching her lips. She tossed a couple of weapons my way and proudly waived an ID card in front of me, all of which she’d retrieved from the unconscious guards in the room.
A quick glance in the guard station showed my woman had not only stripped them of their weapons, but also shackled
them so they couldn’t mess with us should they regain consciousness earlier than expected.
As soon as I caught up to her, Tamryn handed me the card and a sheathed blade. I hooked the blade to my belt and held the card near the security lock. I exchanged a glance with her to make sure she was ready. Weapon in hand, Tamryn nodded, and I swiped the card. With a click and a hiss, the doors unlocked before sliding open.
The large room that opened up before us took my breath away. An eerie sense of déjà vu washed over me as I peered at the advanced medical facility they had set up here. A couple of operating tables occupied the center of the room. A giant rail with a series of spidery arms hung from the ceiling above. I could almost feel the stabbing sensation of their needles followed by the excruciating pain of the hyperalloy being injected into my bones. I couldn’t swear that this was their purpose, but the similarities with the entire setup were too great to be coincidental.
However, the vertical chambers lining the walls revealed the true extent of what was happening here. Men and women in stasis within had clearly received some heavy cybernetic implants. My gut said it hadn’t gone so well, explaining their current state. Over the counter lining the left wall, behind the glass doors of a series of shelves, I recognized various cybernetic parts similar to those that had been integrated into my body.
Grellik is trying to build his own Cyborg army.
A terrible thing considering all that I knew about the Ferein leader. Combined with weapons development, he could become a far too powerful disruption force on this unruly planet and in this sector. Worse still, he could see Emperor Shui’s ambitions as an opportunity for him to sneak in through the backdoor and take over while the rest of us were busy trying to protect Bionus.
However, it was Dr. Timmons, hunched over the strapped body of a Cyborg, that held my attention. Tall and willowy, with the kind of skinny body I usually associated with highly nervous people, he looked much younger than I expected—maybe in his mid-forties.
