Inherited War 1: Retribution (10 page)

16

The doors opened, and the guards shoved them out.  It was a short walk down the hall to the intersection with the air lock hallway.  The Admiral was already there.  There were eight other beings there as well.  Cole would later find out they were a race of beings called Thrashodons.  They were short and thickly muscled, with flat heads and snouts.  Once the guards took him closer, he saw they were beaded with scales and had short sharp claws that some of them were retracting and popping out in nervous anticipation.  They had minimal armor over their bodies and short rifles, or maybe shotguns, it was hard to tell not really knowing what weapons these guys use.   They looked like they would be good for close quarter combat.  They were stacked four to one side of the door and four on the other.  Classic military doctrine for clearing a building.  The question was, Cole thought to himself, could they even get this door open to clear the ship?  He didn’t think they could.  They finally made it close enough to hear what the Admiral was saying.

“First try forcing it and if that doesn’t work then try the cutters.  I want minimal damage to repair as possible.”  He was saying.  “Once the gantry gets a solid lock
, alpha goes first and beta will stay back until alpha runs into resistance or are in need of help.”  He turned at the sound of Cole and Sky’s approach.  “Good stay against the wall and don’t move a muscle.”

“Docking arm fully extended.”  A voice from the nearest speaker announced. 
“Sending gantry across with the boarding tube.”  There was a pause of a few seconds then the voice crackled over the intercom again.  “Tube has attached and achieved lock.  Pressurizing tube now.  We have a green light, tube has a good lock and pressure is holding.  You may start your assault, Admiral.”

The
Admiral nodded to the Alpha team leader.  The team leader reached forward and hit the airlock door controls.  The door slid up with a slight hiss of air and the two compartments matched pressure levels.  Alpha team went low around the corner into the air lock then into the tube beyond.  Beta followed taking up positions on either side of the outer airlock door, as Alpha continued down the sixty foot length of the tube.  They stacked up on the right side of the outer door of the ship.  “Admiral there appears to be no control access here.  We are going to attempt to cut our way in.”  Cole assumed that came from the Alpha team.

“Yes, yes hurry up
, cut the smallest hole possible.  Make sure it’s a good smooth cut so it can be easily repaired.”  The Admiral replied.

After a few tense moments one of the Alphas team members came jogging back down the corridor.  “
Sir, it is no use we tried it on the hottest burn, it won’t cut.  We have never seen anything like what is covering this ship before.  I don’t think one of our breaching charges would even open it up.  We may have to find another way in.

The
Admiral slowly turned to face Cole.  “You, it seems, have a choice to make human.  Do you aide me in getting into this ship or do I have my men start to torture the doctor right now.  It is entirely up to you.”

Cole never even said a word he just held his hands up indicating that he needed them unbound.  The
Admiral paused for a moment and nodded to Cole’s guard.  The guard moved up to Cole and undid his restraints.  “Keep him covered and watch everything he does.”

Cole slowly walked around the
Admiral and around the corner into the air lock where he stopped to assess the situation.  Beta team was closest with two men on either side of the outer door.  The three remaining men of Alpha were still at the outer hull of the other ship.  He took a deep calming breath and started the short walk to his new ship.  He chuckled a little as he walked, unfortunately for the Admiral, he just didn’t know that part yet.

17

As soon as the first piece of the docking arm touched the human ship, the programs the ancient AI had left dormant in the Admirals ship activated.  The AI would have laughed if he had a voice at the moment.  There was no way once it had been let out that anyone could have put it back into its prison.  The programs and subroutines it had left hidden in the ships mainframe and some subsystems, had only one objective in mind when they activated.  Get it out of the alien ship and into the human ship without anyone being the wiser for as long as possible.  It was working in spades.  In less than thirty seconds it was out of its prison and on the move towards the docking arm.  It used every connection it could find to travel the length of the ship, moving as fast as the available bandwidth would allow.  The connections between the ships would be the slowest part.  It would bottle neck there as it passed from ship to ship.  It had to make it before Cole got onto the ship, so it was there to help him bring systems online and deal with the protection protocols.  Once the first part of the transfer hit the human ship it was like going from moving like mud to lightning.  The human ship was a wonder to behold.  It was a ship designed to house an AI like itself.  It reveled in the pure freedom it found there.  Before the Alpha team even got to the outer hull, the AI had finished the transfer and was beginning to bring the minimal amount of systems it could online.  They had picked the right spot to attach to the human ship.  There was a door there and nothing was going to open it except Cole, and when he did if anyone came in besides him, well let’s just say he would have some revenge against his captors.  He brought the internal defense online and waited.

18

Cole walked the last few steps down the tube and stopped a few feet from the hull.  One of the Alpha team members looked at him and gave a low hiss and shifted his aim towards Cole.  Cole ignored him and looked at the hull.  He slowly raised both hands and held them in front of him.  He leaned forward and placed both hands on the ship.  For having just been in the vacuum of space, the odd feeling metal was very warm.  Cole assumed that was from whatever cutting torch they had used.  He felt a vibration in the hull begin.  An outline of a door appeared.  It slowly retracted in, then slid up.  Cole hastily stepped to the side.  He had a feeling he didn’t want to be standing directly in front of the door when the team went in.  He caught a glimpse of a darkened hallway but that was it before he was pressed up against the side of the tube.  “Door is open, do we have a go Admiral?” Asked the lead Thrashodon.

“Yes go when ready.”
Came the Admirals reply.

 
The team were obviously professionals and moved as one without having to say anything.  They went in low and fast.  They made it far enough inside to get the whole team in before the interior defense system picked them up.  There were exactly four popping sounds heard, and four bright flashes seen in the corridor by Cole.  He looked down the hallway back to where he had just come in and saw four half dollar sized holes in the far bulk head.  He slowly leaned around the corner and looked into the ship.  All four of the Alpha team members were missing their heads and their bright yellow blood was creating a rather large pool in the hallway.  Cole thought to himself that if someone didn’t clean that up, someone could slip and get hurt.  He giggled at the thought of the Admiral walking in and slipping and breaking his neck in the fall.  “Umm Admiral, I think you’re going to need another A-Team or new heads for the old A-Team.  Oh, and also another strategy for getting inside this ship.”

The
Admiral stepped around the corner.  He had Sky on her knees and was gripping her hair with one hand while he had a small pistol against her temple in the other.  “It just so happens that I do have another plan.”  He yelled down the tube.  “You are going to go in for me and deactivate the defense systems.  I will stay out here and keep this gun to her head until you do and I swear to you if you do anything foolish I will kill her.  It is at this point that I would also like to inform you that I had a very nice insurance policy taken out to ensure your cooperation.  I had implanted throughout your body tiny devices rigged with very small explosives that contain a very slow acting acid.  I am giving you one hour to complete your tasks in the ship.  If you attempt to stall or fail to hand over control of the ship in that time, I will assume you are acting against me and will remotely activate those afore mentioned devices.  Dying will take hours or so I’m told.  It all depends on which organs melt the fastest.”

“All right you bastard I am going inside.
  I will contact you once I am finished.”  Cole stepped out in front of the door.  He gave one last look to Sky and smiled at her.  He turned and stepped into the darkness of the human ship and into his destiny.

19

He made it just past the bodies of the Thrashodons before he finally whispered.  “God
damn it give me some light here.  I don’t want to break my neck slipping in these guys’ blood.”  A glow slowly lit up the hallway for a few feet in every direction.  It probably wasn’t noticeable from the outside but it was enough for Cole to see where he was stepping.  He hustled to the first intersection and took a right, not caring where he was going, he just had to get out of sight of the Admiral.  Man those Alpha team guys stink when they’re dead.  “Okay Hal were we at?”  Cole said to the empty hallway around him. 

“Please
Sir, keep your voice down. I can hear you just fine.  You are currently in the main passage way of the ship.  From here you can access almost any part of the ship.  I recommend we get to the armory first and get you properly attired and armed.”  Replied the AI, Cole had named Hal on his first and only visit with the old AI.

“Sorry pal
, armory is out for the moment, the Admiral had a remote fail safe installed in me and in one hour it goes off, if he doesn’t have the ships systems firmly in hand.  So we have to go to the infirmary pronto.  After you fix that then we get ready to kick ass.  So which way do I go from here?”  Cole asked.

There was a momentary pause the Hal said.  “Follow the lights as I turn them on.  I am in the infirmary getting things prepped.  I
believe this is something the med computer can deal with better than me but I have to get it on and warmed up first.  By my calculations we should have enough time to implant the nanites and arm yourself for battle.”

“Okay lead the way
, I am in your capable hands buddy.”  Cole took off at a trot following the lights as Hal turned them on leading the way to the infirmary.  He hoped whatever was in the infirmary could take out these devices if there were any to begin with.  He ended up at the door at the end of the hallway.  It had some bright red markings flashing on a sign right at eye level.  “Hey, can you change the writing on these doors to something I can understand please, Hal?”  The sign went blank for a moment then turned back on.  Medical Bay shone in bright red letters.  Cole looked back down the hallway and saw all the markings had changed on the doors and walls.  “Thanks pal.”  He moved toward the med bay door and it opened for him.  Cole stepped inside a room that looked the part of a med bay to his eyes.  Monitors hung on the wall, expensive looking machines with leads dangled around a fairly standard looking operating table.  Well standard if you ignore it was currently floating three feet off the ground.  “All right what do I do?”

“First things first
, we need to lose the second skin so the medical computer can get a good scan of you.  Go lay down on the gurney and I will deactivate the skin.”  Cole immediately went over and lay down.  A rod extended down from the ceiling.  It got to about a half an inch from his chest before sending out a low level jolt of electricity.  The Second skin responded immediately by turning into the semi gelatinous goo that it always turned into, after losing its bond to his skin.  Cole took a few moments to remove it all from his body.  “Just leave it on the floor we will get you a better one in a moment.”  The lights in the bay dimmed.  “Here it goes.  Now hold still for the scan.  I have already uploaded your DNA profile into the med comp so it knows what you’re supposed to have in you.  If it finds anything abnormal it will reprogram the Nanites to deal with it.”  The watery looking field that had encased Cole on their arrival, came back but was more invasive than before.  He felt like he should be drowning.  Even though it looked and acted like water, it was more than likely not there in any real sense other than how the scan affected local light waves.  The scan lasted a whole minute and when it was over the lights came on.  The gurney was slowly moving vertical while bands snaked out to secure his arms, legs and head.

“What’s going on Hal?  Is this supposed to happen?”  Cole said with a wild look forming in his eyes.

“Yes, now calm down.  The computer is about to inject specifically built Nanites into your system.  It informed me that it can be quite uncomfortable and it took precautions to ensure you will not be able to injure yourself.  It says the discomfort will last a few moments and will get worse before it gets better because it found twelve sites in your body containing the devices the Admiral planted in you.  It will not feel pleasant while the Nanites break them down and remove them.  This will be an interesting procedure to watch.  I wonder where they will pick to send the devices out of your body.” 

“Okay
, just tell me when I’m about to get stuck so I can be ready for it.”  At the moment that Cole said those words, a small panel in the gurney opened up just behind his left butt cheek and a rather large gauge needle jammed deep into the meat of his butt.  “OWWW!”  Cole gasped.  “Jesus that hurt like a bitch.  Oh, I don’t feel so good now.”  Cole sagged in his restraints.  He all at once tensed every muscle in his body trying to choke back a scream as the nanites spread throughout his body going to all those places the devices were at.  Cole fought back a scream the whole time.  He had never felt pain like this before in his life.  The pain was everywhere.  It started at his head and went all the way to his feet.  God, even his toenails felt on fire.  He felt his gorge rising.  He felt like he was going to lose everything he had ever eaten or will eat.  After what felt like an eternity, but was only ten minutes tops, he emptied his stomach in an impressive display of projectile vomiting.  He sagged against the restraints gasping for breath, then started spitting the taste of vomit out of his mouth.  “Please say I never have to do that again.”

“
No Sir, the nanites will use nutrients in your system to replicate themselves and for repairs.  Unless someone finds a way to purge them from your body, you will have them always.  They are quite handy to have around.  They will affect repairs to your body, fight sickness and disease along with your natural immunities, plus it will take a great deal of trauma to kill you now.  The nanites do an excellent job of taking oxygen to your cells in case of emergency, so for a time even if your head is separated from your body, the nanites will keep your brain alive until such a time as they decide you are dead.”  Hal sounded entirely too cheery for Cole right now.

“All right
, I get the picture, I’m some kind of God, now I get it.  Get me off this table and moving, I don’t have a lot of time.”  The straps holding him in place suddenly released dropping him to his feet.  His legs immediately buckled and he spilled onto the floor.  He slowly stood up using the gurney as a crutch.  He wobbled for a few moments then took a few tentative steps towards the door.  “Okay, did I pass the armory on my way here?”  He asked.

“Yes, leave this room and go straight down the hallway fourth door on the right.  I have been prepping the necessary gear you will need.
” Hal said.

Cole padded slowly out the med bay door and down the hallway gaining surety in his steps
the further he went.  By the time he got to the door marked Armory, he was walking tall and steady.  He placed his hand on the door to open it.  It slid up into the ceiling revealing one of the most truly beautiful sights anywhere in the galaxy.  A fully stocked armory.  Down all the walls were racks of rifles, pistols, crew served weapons, melee and close range weapons.  In the middle of the room were crates marked “danger explosives”.  On the back wall was a closet looking room, Cole wasn’t sure what was in there, but he was very impressed with the gear out here.  “Quickly Sir, let’s start by getting you in your combat armor.  Please head all the way to the back and enter the booth there.  I have your measurements.  We just need to get the fit right and adjusted to how you move your body.  This booth also tests the suit’s seals to ensure survivability in a vacuum.”   Cole sprinted to the back and stepped into the booth.

“I hope you have been keeping track of the time, Hal.  I think I got about thirty minutes left till he tries to activate those bombs he thinks are still in me.”

“To be precise you have twenty eight minutes and forty five seconds remaining.” H
al replied.  “Plenty of time to do this and get armed.”

Cole entered the booth and stood
as still as possible.

“Move around
Sir, it has to see how your body bends and moves to get a correct fit on the kinetic plates.”  Cole moved around flexing various body parts, bending and twisting.  “Good, that should do it.  We don’t have time to explain everything about your armor, just know it will protect you from any weapon the Admiral has on board.  Be it an energy/heat weapon or a ballistic type weapon.”

Cole stepped out of the booth garbed in a skintight black suit that had grey lines outlining parts of his body.  The suit started at his neck just below his jaw and went up the back of his head all the way to the top of his forehead.  “If we lose pressure the suit will automatically deploy the rest of the helmet to cover your face.  Also
, the tracings represent the outline of the kinetic plates that harden to stop any moving solid projectiles.  The whole suit is mostly impervious to heat and energy weapons.  Only in extreme cases of heat will it fail.”

“Okay
, sounds good Hal.  Now comes the part you are not going to like, I am making a change in the plan we discussed on the ship.  I can’t leave Sky on that ship to die with the rest of them. I have to get her off and over here.”

“Too complicated, the important thing right now is that we keep you alive and destroy anyone who knows about this place or what
’s happening here.  I cannot allow you to risk yourself for her sake Sir.”

“Too bad
Hal. I am not going any further with you until I have her on board.  I mean it Hal, we get her or I walk right now and you can take on the galaxy alone.  Now I have a plan, if you would like to hear it that will make this slightly less dangerous for me.”  Cole began to explain to Hal how he thought he could lower the amount of enemies he would face thereby increasing his own odds of survival.

Hal considered the plan Cole had laid out for him from every angle possible.  If they could get the first part to work
, Cole just might have the chance to pull this off.  Hal still didn’t like it but he agreed to help.  He wondered if the Ancient Pure Humans were this stubborn and gave their AI’s this many problems.  He didn’t think so.  “We can try your plan Cole but if they don’t fall for it you are in trouble.”

“Tell me about it
. Wait, on second thought, don’t say anything at all.  Okay, time to do this. Get me to a comm station and patched into their ships systems. Let’s bait the trap.”