Nirvana got off the box into a squatting position and powered up the hovershoes.
“Whoops!” She toppled over right into Alden’s arms.
“I told you,” he grumbled. “This pair is the latest model. I almost fell over the first time too.” He held her hand and led her around, explaining the controls to her.
It didn’t take Nirvana long to start zipping around the area on her own.
“Can’t wait to try them out in water.” She grinned at Alden, who was wearing a strange expression as he stared behind her. She turned around and saw Zane leaning against the entrance of Soulcraft, staring back at Alden too.
She flew to Zane and powered down her hovershoes.
“We’re good to go,” Zane said, still looking at Alden.
Why are you staring at him?
I don’t know. I came out to tell you we can proceed, watched you try out the hovershoes, next thing I know he was just standing there staring at me. I felt this compulsion to hold eye contact.
Nirvana rolled her eyes. “Hey,” she said as she stood in front of Zane. “Eyes on me.”
“Eyes on you,” he said and turned his attention to her with a smile.
“I gave Levi some of your pills. You might want to take them every four hours, you know, just to…you know—”
“Yes, I know. It’ll help if you stay safe throughout.”
“Of course, I will.” She frowned at him.
He heaved a sigh of resignation and reached out to pull her in for a kiss. “In case you do get caught,” he said after they broke the kiss, “please don’t do anything reckless. Show them the insignia and wait for me.”
Nirvana nodded and gave him a gentle pat on the cheek before turning around to go to Alden.
“Zane says we’re good to go,” Nirvana said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Alden nodded and handed out her backpack. She gave Zane one last look before she pulled the headgear over her head.
“Levi, comms check.”
“Loud and clear, Captain.”
“Zane and Rams, comms check.”
“We hear both of you,” Ramsey replied.
With everything in place, Nirvana stepped into the forest and headed towards the stronghold with Alden.
Chapter 46
The journey through the forest was smooth and uneventful. Nirvana and Alden were guided by the monitors on the screen of their headgear to reach the first rest point, which was a hidden, unused underground bunker.
“Still way ahead of schedule. Do we move on or wait until the sun sets?” Nirvana asked after checking the time.
“Wait until the sun sets. It’ll be another hour or so,” Zane replied over the communication channel. “Go into the bunker and get some rest. It’ll be safer inside.” He took over Nirvana’s mind and keyed in a series of complex numbers to open the door to the bunker. “Communications will be cut once you enter. I don’t know if the MLink will still work but if it doesn’t, check back at 1900. Sun should have set by then.”
“Alright, entering the bunker now.”
Nirvana and Alden activated the lights on their suits and climbed down the ladder into the bunker. According to Zane, the bunker was one of the many used during war to ambush the enemies. It was big enough to hold ten men and had some basic storage for food and water supplies. However, those shelves and cupboards were empty now.
Nirvana removed some of her gear and her shoes to make herself comfortable since the ventilation wasn’t terrific down there, but there was still some reasonable air flow even though they hadn’t switched on the air pump.
Trying out MLink connection, Nirvana tested. No response from Zane. The MLink probably needed to latch onto some form of communication network in order for it to work. However, just to be safe, she checked to make sure her mind shields were up. She didn’t like how she was being suspicious of Zane, but she had reconciled with herself that their relationship was something that needed work, and most importantly, time to build the trust.
“You can speak your mind, Alden. It’s safe.” Nirvana tapped the side of her head.
“If you’re not tired, I would like to head in after we’ve eaten,” Alden suggested, holding out a food pouch for her.
“I’m not tired, but I don’t know if we will sabotage our mission by going against our own plans. After all, we’re following the security schedule he provided. Yuck!” She grimaced as she swallowed the gooey nutrition from the pouch. “This is always the hardest part after a break.” She took a deep breath and started swallowing the liquified food from the pouch in large gulps.
“He’ll know if we’re going in early anyway. He can track us through our suits. I’m just saying we throw him off his plan a little, to see how he’ll react, in case he’s setting us up for anything,” Alden explained. “With all due respect, Captain, I feel there’s a lot more than he’s letting on.”
Nirvana sighed. “I get how you feel about him. I have my doubts too, which is why I’m retiring after this. I don’t think I’m fit to lead anymore, especially when my emotions are clouding my judgement.”
“You’ve been a good captain; it’s a Hayashi we’re dealing with.”
“I don’t know, Alden. We’ve never voluntarily deviated from our plans before. It seems a little much to change them last minute just because we don’t trust him. The worst part is that he is the insider. We’re supposed to trust whatever information he’s providing so this mission will succeed.”
“We’ll stick to the plan then,” Alden said. “I suggest we take a quick nap while waiting, since we’re more than two hours ahead of schedule and we might have to work through the night.”
“One hour?” she asked as she set up the timer on the alarm.
“Sounds good.”
Nirvana started up the device and planted it between them as they laid down to rest. The device started spraying a chemical mist into the air to help them fall asleep quickly.
An hour later, the device emitted chemical stimulants to rouse the duo from their sleep. Nirvana blinked her eyes open and stretched. Alden sat up and put his gear back on. He helped Nirvana with hers and both got into a stretching routine to fully wake their mind and body.
Once they were ready, Alden went up the ladder first. Carefully, he opened the door and threw two drone balls out to scan the surroundings.
“Zane, Ramsey, we’re coming out,” Alden said and waited for their response.
The drone balls inspected the surroundings and gave an all-clear signal. Alden picked them up and tucked them away before exiting the bunker.
“We’re coming out,” Alden reported again as he got out.
“Got your location,” Ramsey replied finally.
The sun had set, and the forest was lit only by a greenish glow from the moon. Nirvana powered off the lights on her gear and switched to night vision mode on her headgear. They would have to go a lot slower due to the poor visibility. It was a good thing they were not too far from the stronghold.
Nirvana thought it was strange she didn’t hear from Zane. You ok, baby? she asked.
No reply.
“Zane?” Nirvana asked into the comms channel.
There was a moment of silence before Ramsey answered, “He’s… taking a short nap.”
“What happened?” Nirvana asked, feeling alarmed.
“He started panicking an hour after the comms cut off,” Ramsey replied with a nonchalant tone. “We tried to assure him that you were safe in the bunker, but he flipped and insisted on going in to check on you, so Levi shot him with a tranq and tied him up. That, plus the little pill he took earlier was probably too much, so he passed out after a while.”
“Oh dear,” she gasped.
“Don’t worry. I’m on top of things. I’m sure I can handle everything until the server room. We’ll wake him up for the hacking portion,” Ramsey assured her confidently.
“Alright since he’s out, you guys listen to me. If Alden and I get caught, you leave Zane behind and highta
il it the hell out of here. Go wait at Ching’s. If you don’t hear from me after a month, tell Dein we failed,” Nirvana instructed. “Alden, you have your arrangements in place if that happens?”
“Always.”
“That settles it then.”
“What if you need help getting out?” Daxon asked.
“From what I gathered from Zane, there’s no getting out if we get caught, so don’t bother waiting for us. Save yourselves.”
Chapter 47
“Ready for a swim?” Nirvana asked Alden when they reached the huge moat that was surrounding the stronghold.
He was his usual expressionless self when he pulled out the water-breathing masks and packed his headgear away. They checked each other’s gear to make sure everything was in place before they made their way into the water. They waded until the water was up to their chest before putting on the masks and switched the hovershoes to water propel mode.
Nirvana felt immensely uncomfortable when she went completely underwater. There was no visibility in the water at all.
“Alden?” she waved her hands around to try to feel for him.
“Can’t see a thing,” he grumbled. “Get out of the water first.”
Nirvana emerged from the water and saw that Alden was right beside her. He reached out to pull her towards him, secured her arm under his and intertwined his fingers with hers.
“We have absolutely no visibility in the water,” he complained after they submerged again
“Yeah it feels really weird. I’ve never swum in water like this before,” she echoed his sentiments.
“We got you covered,” Ramsey said cheerfully over the comms channel. “The sensors on your suit will be able to detect obstacles and I’ll warn you ahead of time. Just follow your coordinates.”
The only visible thing that was on Nirvana’s mask screen were numbers indicating their latitude and longitude. Everywhere else was pitch black. Nirvana was glad she had Alden with her and that he held her close. It was probably the first time in her long career that she had so much body contact with him.
They moved in silence until it got to be too much for Nirvana.
“Asan,” she spoke into the comms channel. “Did you test for chemicals in the water? I got a feeling Jiang and Luci are going to kill us when they see the state of their filters.”
She heard Ramsey repeating the question. Asan come over to the comms channel and replied, “It’s a lot of iron and sludge. They put in a lot of chemicals to remove the smell too. The only good news is none of those chemicals are corrosive and the water is so toxic I’m positive there are no living organisms in it. The bad news is we’ll most likely have to head to Nayrie for gills to replace them.”
“We’re going to have to be careful when we remove the masks later. I’d hate for the water to touch my skin,” Nirvana complained.
“It’s a good thing the suits are nano-coated then. At least the water won’t stick to them. Can’t say the same for your masks.”
“How’s Zane? How long has he been out?”
“He’s fine!” Levi shouted from a distance.
“Maybe we can keep him under for the entire mission,” Alden said.
“I don’t know where the information is stored in the servers. We’ll still need him,” Ramsey replied. “Levi’s going to wake him up soon.”
Nirvana gave Alden’s hand a squeeze, and they continued to navigate the waters in silence.
Nirvana.
Hey baby, how are you feeling now?
Groggy, and angry with myself.
Still? I thought whatever Levi jabbed you with should have calmed you down.
It did; I am rationally angry with myself now.
Well try not to be too angry because you’ll trigger yourself all over. I need you to be able do this.
Levi’s teaching me some stretches now. He says it’ll wake me more.
Yeah, do it. Ramsey can handle the first part I think.
“Zane’s up,” Ramsey announced.
“Yeah, I know that. Thanks though.”
“Argh, I keep forgetting you guys are MLinked.”
“We should be approaching the entrance soon,” Alden interrupted.
“That’s funny, I’m not getting any images of buildings on my side. Zane!” Ramsey called out.
“Go slow,” Alden warned Nirvana. “To just speed three.”
They drastically decreased the speed of the shoes.
“Cut the power to the shoes and put your hands in front of you,” Zane spoke into the comms channel. “You should feel the wall soon.”
“Why is the wall not showing here?” Ramsey asked.
“I made it that way. The shield emits anti-frequency to disrupt any forms of sensor or radar,” Zane explained.
Nirvana’s palms came in contact with something solid. “I think I feel something.”
“There should be a small gate at the side to your right,” Zane informed them. “Lower. You need to go lower. You can turn on your headlights now.”
“Will it be ok if I try to feel for it? I can’t see very well even with the lights on.”
“Yeah. You should feel a bulge.”
There were muffled giggles from Ramsey. “Are you feeling it, girl?” he sang suggestively. “Owww! You people need to stop hitting my head. I’m going to get brain damage soon. I’m trying to reduce the tension here.”
“I think I feel it,” Nirvana said excitedly as she felt a raised portion on the wall.
“Use the edge to guide yourself to the side, then move down. There should be a control panel to your left. Be careful not to press anything.”
“Found the control panel. Alright, now to see if Ramsey’s card works.” She pulled out a card from a pocket on her sleeve and tapped it against the panel. “Nothing’s happening.”
“Feel the sides of the panel for a slot,” Ramsey said, suddenly all playfulness gone from his voice. “Put it into the slot.”
She did as he said. For a few seconds, nothing happened. She was about to pull the card out when she heard a loud clang.
“It’s unlocked,” Zane said.
“YES!” Ramsey shouted. Nirvana could picture him pumping his fists in the air.
“Congratulations. You broke my security,” Zane said dryly.
“Awwww, but you helped.”
“Nirvana and Alden, give the wall in front of you a hard push. Use your shoes if you have to.”
Nirvana had lost Alden the moment she let go of his hand to look for the card slot to open the gate. “Alden, you feel the wall?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, on three. One, two, three.”
She powered on her hovershoes and pushed.
“Alright both of you are in. Keep your right hand on the wall and continue moving to your left. Once your hand leaves the wall, swim forward slowly, you should reach a ramp,” Zane instructed.
“How the hell do your maintenance people navigate under water?” Nirvana asked incredulously.
“My anti-frequency is switched off during repairs so everything will show up on scanners and the screen on the diving suits displays the X-ray computer tomography of the equipment. In fact, it automatically does diagnostic scanning and highlights the errors for my engineers. All they have to do—“
“Zane, there are people in the room,” Alden interrupted him. “Captain, stay in the water.”
“It cannot be. There aren’t any scheduled maintenance at this time. Unless it’s repair…Oh what the fuck! Alden!” Zane shouted.
“What happened?” Nirvana asked urgently.
“Alden! Stop! Nirvana! Get out of the water and stop him!”
“Stop him from what?” she rushed out of the water. To her horror, she saw Alden sitting on top of a man, punching his face repeatedly. It was totally unlike Alden, whose modus operandi was clean and efficient kills.
Nirvana was struggling to reach him quickly, but it was too late to stop Alden from breaking the man’s arm. Screams gurgled from the m
an’s mouth as Alden proceeded to break another arm. The shouting from Ramsey and Zane was driving her crazy, so she pulled off the mask.
“Alden!” Nirvana yanked him away from the man with all her strength. He didn’t put up a fight and allowed her to drag him away. Suddenly, a naked woman darted out from nowhere, pulled out a dagger that was sheathed in the man’s boot and stabbed the man’s thigh.
Zane, are you seeing this?
The man jerked and tried to wriggle away but she managed to stab the other thigh. Then, she raised her arms high up and plunged the dagger into his chest.
Do you know who she is? Nirvana asked.
I think it’s Kseniya! Can you approach her slowly and let me look at her face? She cut her hair but I know that tattoo on her hip.
Alden pulled off his mask and growled, “He was beating her and raping her.”
Nirvana approached the woman slowly. She had stopped stabbing the man, who was motionless and probably dead by now, but she was bent over his body doing something. Nirvana crept towards her side, keeping a safe distance in case she turned on her with the knife.
Zane. What the hell?
The woman was prying at the man’s chest with her fist inside trying to pull something out. Nirvana felt a sense of recognition when she saw their faces, both the man and woman, even though she didn’t know them.
Kuso! It’s Obaga’s son-in-law! That’s definitely Kseniya. Oh damn it all to hell! Zane yelled in her head.
Kseniya pulled hard and out came a piece of an organ that resembled a heart, clenched in her fist. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that it was as if she couldn’t see anyone else in the room. She stood up and walked around, seemingly looking for something. With a wild look in her eyes, she stared at the heart in her hands for a moment, before she brought it to her mouth and took a huge bite out of it.
Fatal Extraction Page 23
