Athena Lee Chronicles 8: Infiltration (2 page)

As I watched their faces turned to masks of horror at my descriptions. Score! “Maybe Hell Confinement is more your style? Do you have the handcuffs and the steel bars ready? Are you going to chain my hands to my feet and let me lie there in my own excrement for hours at a time unable to move or even sit? I don’t see a bar in here. Or maybe you’re set up for the ‘Strappado’ in another one of your rooms? Going to hang me by my arms until I talk? I can tell you that it takes about four hours before your arms dislocate and the tendons start to stretch.” Hutchins looked a little green. I smiled at him and he lost it vomiting on the floor.

“Messy messy, gonna have to clean that up. So Mr Kirkland, what will it be? Choose wisely, because if you don’t kill me, I will certainly kill you!” The pale faced Master at Arms turned and practically ran from the cell, followed by the green faced private. I started laughing.

“That was mean.” Wilson sounded amused.

I kept laughing and nodded my head. Those cameras most likely were still watching me.

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The pale faced Chief pounded on the door to the intelligence office. “Open up you bastard!”

“Chief, what the hell?” The skinny redheaded man flinched as the muscular Marine pushed past him, forcing him back into his tiny office.

“I need to see Commander Lee’s file! Everything that you have on her, right frakking now!”

“Chief, most of that stuff is extremely Top Secret. You know I can’t let you see it!”

“Listen to me you bastard! That woman in there knows entirely too much about being tortured, like she has first hand knowledge of it! Show me the file or I will take it!” The Chief was madder than he had been in years. She had just terrified him and that was not an easy thing to do.

“Fine, whatever. Ruin your career, what do I care.” Entering his code into his console the intelligence officer accessed his files and sent one to Chief Kirkland’s tablet.

Kirkland began to read the Commander’s file. The PPL information was old news. Everyone knew that story. Admiral Kane. Prisoner of war due to the death of… Wait, Governor Buckley? Arrested by station security… torture… rescue…! He looked up and glared at the man behind the desk. “What did you tell the Ambassador about our prisoner?”

“If you must know, I told him the rumors that her father promoted her and that the existing crew on Freedom Station are the ones that stopped that asteroid not her. She just took all the credit. She’s just a little rich girl with all the right connections.”

“Have you read this file?”

“Well, no. Why? More lies that the head of the Militia has kept from us?”

“You bastard! Read it for yourself then watch the video of what happened when I went in her cell a few moments ago! Little rich girl with connections. My. Ass!” He threw the tablet at the officer's head and stormed out of the room. Commander Lee’s connections were real just like her orders had to be. He and his men were in big trouble!

Chapter 3

“Ma’am, I have that update that you asked for.” To Gaston’s eyes Amalie looked tired. He could understand finding family only to have them taken from you again.

Amalie looked up from her console. “Gaston! Excellent. Did Dar and her people update you?”

“They are assaulting the embassy tonight. The AI will cut power to the complex and deactivate the sensor net. Dar’s men have the layouts, and all codes needed for door access. They intend to clear the walls first then take the building.”

“What about casualties? Are they shooting to kill?” Shooting one’s own countrymen was never easy.

“It is my understanding that they will be using stunners. She did say that they will kill if given no choice.”

“Be sure that emergency services are standing by along with our forces as backup. Ensure that all of our people are clear on the issue of sovereignty. Only enter the embassy grounds if invited by either an officer or my granddaughter. She is the official Ambassador, now. Contrary to what those inside at the moment believe.” Amalie studied her aide.

“I will so inform them, Primus.”

“Gaston, be careful tonight. You should be in no danger but…” He was my best aide in decades, losing him would be bad.

“I understand, Primus. I will be careful.”

“OK, dismissed.” She waved him off as he bowed. Looking back at her console she noticed a message that was not there a moment before.

“Don’t worry about him Amalie, I will keep an eye on him myself. Athena is in moderately good health and terrorizing the Marine staff. I will keep you informed as the assault progresses.”

The message astounded her. After Wilson’s last foray into her computer system she had her computer wonks update the system with experimental technology. She shook her head, the power that her granddaughter possessed with friends such as these amazed her. Accessing her console she send out a message to her courier service. That damn fool Alexander needed this information.

Ambassador Arthur Phillip’s family had been on Mars for more than fifty years. One of his ancestors was the first ship captain from Hong Kong to return to Old Earth’s solar system. His family founded the Basilisk trading company here on Mars. When Hong Kong needed an ambassador to Mars, his family was the first they came to. Jacob Phillip, Arthur’s father was the first Martian Ambassador. That his son would follow in his footsteps was a given fact. At the end of the Second Interstellar War, his home planet joined their former enemies and founded the Empire. The Phillip family continued to be Ambassadors in name only, they were cut off from financial support and assistance. Only the family trading empire kept them solvent. One ship remained to do business, the Bennelong. By the time of the revolution it had become a floating junkyard without funds to repair it. Recalled to service Arthur vowed to not be ousted from his position ever again, especially by some chit of a girl. Just thinking about his family caused Arthur to smile. His second wife Isabella was the light of his life. She had stepped into their lives after Margaret died in an air car accident. She understood him and advised him in all things. The power behind the throne, so to speak. The sound of someone pounding on his door woke him from his remembrances.

“Enter!” The door opened and Chief Kirkland entered in a rush.

“Sir, we have a problem!”

“What is it Sam? A problem with the guards?” The man was too excitable he said to himself.

“No, Sir. What did intel tell you about Commander Lee?”

“I already told you that! She is just a spoiled little rich girl. Her father appointed her here, I just know it. He must still be mad over that last trade deal I suckered him on. He is just trying to get even. Those orders have to be illegal. There is no way that our Government would put someone like that girl in charge here.” He pointed off to the side. “She stays locked up until we hear back from home-world.”

“Sir, were you aware that she was extensively tortured by Empire forces under former Governor Buckley?”

“Even you must know of that propaganda. Things like that do not happen to young girls! My own intelligence service discounted that whole incident. Colonel Lee and the Militia are behind all of it.”

“Sir, I have seen the official Top Secret reports. She really did do everything that was reported! Sir, her orders may be real.”

The Ambassador stared at his ranking Marine. With a wave of his hand he disregarded what he said. “Nonsense! Follow your orders. I want her interrogated! Use the special chemicals, we need to know how deep the rot goes. Let the Intel specialists do it if you are too squeamish. That will be all.” Arthur did not look up as the Marine stormed away. Stupid man. A soft knock at his door caught his attention. He looked toward the door and caught sight of his beautiful wife. “Isabella!”

“Arthur, did I hear shouting? I came to check up on you.” She smiled at him.

“I’m sorry if we disturbed you, my dear. The Master at Arms and I had a minor disagreement. Nothing to worry about.”

“Is there something I can do?”

“No, my dear. The Marine feels that we were are wrong about Ms. Lee, that her orders are not forgeries. I was instructing him to speed up her interrogation. Nothing for you to worry about.” He really loved his wife, somehow she always knew when he needed her.

“Arthur, don’t let him sway you. You know that she is a traitor don’t you?” Arthur was almost mesmerized by her words and her eyes. She had such beautiful eyes. It was how they met or so she told him. He really did not remember that weekend. Everything was a blur.

“You always give me the best advice. Thanks for your support Isabella.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“How about a toast to our future, Arthur?” Isabella stepped over to the side bar and prepared his favorite cocktail. Arthur was too distracted watching her body move to see her slip something into his drink. She crossed back to his desk. She looked into his lust filled face. “Silly boy, there will be time for that later, here have a nice drink.” She handed him the drink and watched as he drank it all. Taking control was too easy. The grand plan was almost ready, and they needed this embassy to be under the Cabal’s control.

Chapter 4

Dar stared up at the inside of the massive dome that enclosed the city. Artificial lights helped simulate night and day in a city based upon the rotation of the planet. Nightfall was approaching and so was her assault. The last report from Wilson told her that Athena was fighting them. She loved that woman with all her heart. If anything were to happen to her… Dar did not want to think about what might happen. Save Athena or die trying was her only goal.

“Alright I need status reports from all teams.” Dar was standing atop the clock tower looking down on the Embassy. On her back was one the newest in personal glider technology. Having friends in high places payed off here on Mars.

“Team One, in place and ready.” The three man team was on the rooftops on three sides of the embassy grounds.

“Team Two, in place and ready.” Their job was to engage the gate drawing attention away from the walls. A secondary objective was to make spotting the guards easier for Team One.

“My team, Team Three is also ready and in place. Team Two you kick off the party. We are dependent upon you to draw the guards away. Good luck everyone and I will see you on the other side.” Dar and her two teammates checked and rechecked the gliders. Down on the ground Team Two sprang into action.

Private Hutchins was still a bit shaken from the interview that he witnessed earlier in the day. He felt green just thinking about what that prisoner had accused them of. The thought of torture sickened him. It had made him think though about those restricted rooms that only Intel had access to. Hearing a loud screech and crunching sound drew his eyes to the main gates. Two air cars had impacted the gateway. From appearances one had hit the other rebounding into the gates. It was not the first time this had happened. “Hey you need to move! You are blocking the gate!”

The two drivers climbed out of their cars and began yelling at each other. “Why the hell did you hit me?”

“Me? Hit you? You hit me, you moron!” The shouting continued to get louder and louder.

Private Hutchins yelled at the two again. “You need to move those cars, they are blocking the gates!” The two civilians had given up yelling and were now wrestling each other.

“Hey Chow! Give the Chief a call will ya and let him know about the accident. I’m going to call the locals to deal with that mess.” Chow was the other Marine on duty in the gatehouse.

Master Chief Kirkland received the message about the air car wreck just as he was about to head down to interrogation. He reversed his course and headed for the gate. He exited the front doors in time to see his Marines about to open the front gate to break up the fight between civilians. “Hutchins! Don’t open the gates!”

Just as the gates began to open, all the lights went out. Strangely the gates were still opening. The Master Chief looked around him in surprise, the back up power should have kicked in. He stomped over to the now opening gates. “Hutchins, what the hell are you doing? Get those gates closed.”

The Private turned to the Master Chief, “Chief, the civilians they were…”

Chief Kirkland watched in horror as the two fighting civilians rose from the ground with guns and began firing at his gate guards! “It’s a trap! Infiltrators! Everyone to your posts!”

One of his guards was already down and Hutchins fell at his feet moaning. The Chief ran for the gun emplacement on the left wall just in time to see his wall guard slap his shoulder and fall over. “Snipers!”