Authors: Riley Barton
There was a long pause, and Mark said, “And once again … nothing’s happening.”
“Unit 002,” a deep, synthesized voice called out, putting an end to any further complaints, “what has taken you so long?”
“I apologize for my tardiness,” Ed replied. “I’m afraid I have been delayed until now.”
“Understood. Fear not. I will open the hanger bay at once.”
Almost instantly the doors began to open and Bishop continued, “Your timing is most agreeable. I am at this very moment in need of your aid.”
“What do you mean?” Luna asked.
“For the past fifty-three hours, this facility has been under attack by an unknown assailant. My security countermeasures have been able to keep them at bay, but they are persistent. Even now they are attempting to cut into one of my primary network junctions.”
“Do you have any idea what they want, Bishop?” Mark asked as Fox eased the aircraft into the brightly lit hanger.
“I have been able to deduce from their communications that their intentions are of an … incendiary nature.”
“You mean a bomb,” Toad said.
“You are correct. This is why I hesitated to let you land.”
Luna pondered this latest development. Then, turning to Mark, she asked, “So what’s the plan now?”
Mark thought for a moment then said, “Ed, bring up a schematic of the reactor compound and establish an uplink with Bishop’s security feeds.”
“Right away, Master Mark.”
Within seconds a holographic display of Cathedral’s floor plan materialized in the center of the cabin.
“Hey, Perkins!” Mark called, poking his head into the rear compartment. “Bring your team in here. We need your help with something.”
Once everyone was present Mark continued laying out his plan. “All right Bishop, show us where the intruders are.”
The display shifted and zoomed in on a section of hallway near the opposite side of the complex.
Mark sighed, and turned his gaze to the agents. “Okay. Bishop says we have intruders armed with at least one bomb making their way to the power junction—here.” He pointed to a large room a short distance down the hallway. “Since you’re the only ones equipped for this sort of thing, I’ll need you to take care of them.”
“That’s clear on the other side of the building,” Rush pointed out “How are we going to get there?”
Toad answered, “Jack built this baby with tram systems and elevators so the workers could get around in a hurry. They should still be operational, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Mark nodded and turned back to the Agents. “You guys think you can handle that?”
“Are you kidding?” Patterson laughed. “We’re
Agents
. Of course we can handle it!”
Mark smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Luna spoke up, “What will the rest of us do?”
“You and I,” Mark explained, “are going to head for these two control rooms here and here.” He tapped the holograph and the display zoomed out, indicating two of the three towers she had seen on the way in.
“Once we’re there, we’ll upload the kill codes and shut this thing down for good.”
“What about me?” Toad asked.
“You’ll stay here with Fox,” Mark said, “No offense, but you’ll slow us down.”
“None taken. I’ll keep your chair warm for ya.”
“All right everyone! We’ve each got a job to do. Grab a weapon and stay in contact,” he said, plugging Ed’s portable housing back into his chestplate, “Fox and Toad, be ready to go when we get back. I have a feeling it’ll get a little rough out there. Everyone ready?”
The response was unanimous.
“All right, let’s do this thing!”
Luna followed the group down the short flight of steps to the rear cabin and from one of the overhead storage compartments procured a handgun, which she then slipped into the waist of her pants. Once armed, she exited the vehicle and wished everyone good luck.
“See you on the other side,” Mark said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
She smiled, hoping she looked more confident than she felt. “Be careful.”
“Aren’t I always?” He returned her smile and then ran off in the direction of the nearest tram.
She watched him go, tucked the portable storage device containing Alex into her pocket, and headed off in the other direction, doing her best to focus on the task at hand.
Chapter 47
Leon stared at the security monitor in annoyance. Nothing was going to plan!
First, due to a
forged
communiqué telling them all to meet at New Providence Colony, Unitech and its allies had picked off nearly half his men before they ever made it to the rally point, Then, despite having acquired a Unitech access code from splicing into Alex’s mainframe at Research Station 121, Cathedral’s security systems had
still
been activated. Meaning that dozens of heavy blast doors now stood between his men and their goal. And to make matters worse,
now
a team of Agents had infiltrated the complex!
However, his initially despondent mood improved greatly when he realized that the intruders were splitting up, which meant that it would be easier to pick them off one by one. At least, he
hoped
it would be easier. His men definitely weren’t the best and brightest.
Leon reached for his radio, keeping his eyes glued to the security terminals. “Bill, we’ve got company.”
“Good or bad?”
He scrutinized the surveillance footage. “From the looks of ‘em, I’d say pretty bad. Tell the boys to get ready. We can’t lose the bomb to these Techies.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go after the stragglers. Take ‘em out while you’re keeping the others occupied.”
There was a pause then Bill said, “Understood, boss. We’ll hold ‘em until you get back.”
Leon slid the radio back into his pocket and analyzed the screens for a few more seconds. The closest Techie was making his way toward one of the main control towers, which was only a few minutes away by tram. Leon double-checked the schematics for the complex one last time—just to be sure—then left the security station and ran off down the hallway, his black raincoat billowing out behind him as he sprinted for the closest tram station. If luck prevailed, they wouldn’t even know he was there until it was too late.
Chapter 48
Mark braced himself as the tram eased to a stop at the base of the control tower. So far he hadn’t seen any Swampers, but he knew it was better to play it safe.
Gun in hand, he cautiously stepped off the tram and swept the room. Like most of the complex, it was deserted. The only sounds to be heard were those of his own footsteps echoing off the polished, white walls and the thrum of Cathedral’s reactors.
He scowled. It was too quiet.
Slowly he advanced, boarding the elevator that would take him to the control station.
He selected the top floor and waited while the lift rose.
After about a minute, the doors opened and the lights flickered on.
The control room was spacious. Dominated by a series of terminals and holo screens, it was positioned in front of a massive window that offered a bird’s-eye view of the entire facility.
“All right Ed, we’re here,” he said, moving toward the terminals.
“Understood, Master Mark. Preparing for transfer.”
He nodded and powered up the terminal then un-plugged Ed’s storage unit and slid it into one of the terminal’s open ports.
“All teams, this is Mark. Ed has begun his upload. What’s your status? Over.”
Rush replied first, shouting over the sound of gunfire, “We’ve been engaged! But we’re holding our own! We should have control of the bomb in a few minutes! Over!”
“Understood. Keep me updated.”
“Will do! Rush, out!”
“Fox, Toad? How are things at the hanger?”
“It’s all quiet here,” Toad replied.
“All right. Just make sure you’re ready to go when we get back.”
“Uh-huh. Got it. Just worry about getting those codes uploaded.”
The comm went silent, and Mark leaned over to check the progress of the download.
He activated the comm again. “Luna? I’m almost done here. How are things on your end?”
No reply.
“Luna? Do you copy? Over?”
Still nothing.
“Team, I’ve lost contact with Luna.”
“What? How?” Fox said over the comm.
“I’m not sure. I’m heading to the other tower now,” he replied then asked, “Ed, are you done with the upload yet?”
“Affirmative.”
“Good,” He replied, returning the AI to his chestplate as he headed for the elevator.
“Bishop, do you have a fix on Luna’s position?”
“Affirmative,” the deep, automated voice replied. “She is presently located within Control Room 3.”
“Is anyone else there with her?”
“Indeed. I am detecting one other person in the room as well.”
Mark cursed under his breath, willing the elevator to move faster.
Chapter 49
Smooth, Luna. Real smooth,
Luna thought, berating herself for having let her guard down.
She had been so engrossed with trying to figure out how to upload Alex into the system that she didn’t even realize the Swamper was there until he yanked the gun from her waistband.
“Now I’ll ask you again, girly. What are you doing here?” the man hissed, pressing his face close to her ear.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. His breath was probably one of the worst things she’d ever had the misfortune of smelling. That and the wet-dog-wrapped-in-burnt-rubber-tires smell already emanating from him.
Trying not to gag, she answered, “I’m trying to shut down the reactor.”
He laughed.
“
You
? Shut it down? Do you think I was born under a rock? You’re a Techie! Why would you even want to shut this thing down, anyway? It’s what’s making y’all so stinking rich!”
He jabbed the gun into her kidney. Hard.
She yelped and arched her back. “I know it looks bad! And I probably wouldn’t believe me either. But you have to trust me! I’m trying to help you! All of you!”
“
All of you?
” he repeated venomously.
She nodded. “I know about the Swampers. I know what Unitech has done to you. Edgard did it to me, too. But you have to believe me, I really do want to help!”
Her captor was silent then jabbed the gun into her spine, forcing her to her knees. “You have no idea what Unitech has done to us! You didn’t grow up out here in the bog! You ain’t never seen friends and family eaten alive by disease and gators. You’re just like every other Techie! You don’t know anything! There’s only one way to put an end to the likes of you, and it ain’t with no stinkin’ codes!”
He held a small, cylindrical device in front of her face.
It only took her a moment to identify the object, and when she did, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
“A detonator? You’re going to set off the bomb!”
He laughed and waved the device back and forth in front of her face triumphantly. “That I am!”
“Without the deactivation sequence, you could make everything worse. How is
that
going to solve anything?”
“It’ll send a message to anyone else out there who thinks they can do whatever they want now without havin’ to pay for it later.”
“But that’s what
you’re
doing right now!” She exclaimed, turning to glare at him. “If you blow up the reactor you’ll be responsible for wiping out all life left
on this planet!”
He raised his gun. “Shut up! I don’t need no more of your Techie lies!”
“She’s not lying, Leon!”
They both turned as Mark stepped out of the elevator.
“Mark!” Luna exclaimed, her relief quickly replaced by cold terror as Leon pulled her to her feet and pressed his gun to her head.
“Let her go, Leon,” Mark said, keeping his voice calm and level. “No one needs to get killed here.”
Leon laughed. “Ha! Really? Then why are you pointin’ a gun at my face?”
“Leon, listen to us,” Luna interjected. “I know Unitech has done a lot of bad things. But you have to let us upload the codes.”
Mark nodded slightly, “We
are
trying to fix things, Leon. Whether or not you believe us is completely up to you. But one way or another, we’re going to finish what we started.”
They stood in silence, eyeing each other coldly. No one moved. No one breathed.
At last Leon uttered a long, raspy sigh and lowered his gun, releasing Luna from his vice-like grip.
Mark relaxed slightly.
That was all the opportunity Leon needed.
Before either of them could react, he threw himself to the side and opened fire, hitting Mark in the leg. In the split instant it took for Luna to realize what was going on, Leon smiled and pressed the detonator.
A millisecond latter the entire tower shook with the force of a massive explosion, sending Luna sprawling onto her hands and knees. She lay transfixed by the destruction unfolding below her.
Nearly one fifth of the Cathedral station was gone; replaced by a gaping hole that belched fire and smoke into the night sky, like an ancient steam furnace.
A flurry of motion in her peripheral vision caught her eye, and she turned just in time to see Leon jump aboard the elevator. Then the doors closed, and he was gone.
She scrambled to her feet and hurried to Mark’s side. “Are you all right?”
Mark glared at her. “I just got shot! Of course I’m not
all right!
”
“Ed, how bad is it?”
“It is not irreparable, Subject Luna. The bullet has passed through the limb in question without damaging any vital systems. A dose of bio-aid should be enough to get Master Mark back on his feet. Though I would not recommend strenuous activity for quite some time. At least not without proper medical attention beforehand.”
“Where’s the bio-aid?” she asked Mark.
He reached into one of the pouches slung across his body and handed her a small med kit. He activated his comm while she got to work preparing the proper dosage. “Rush? Patterson? Perkins? Are any of you guys still there?”
Nothing but static greeted them, and Luna began to fear the worst. Then Perkins’ voice rang out, “Yeah! We’re still alive. Those maniacs detonated the bomb!”