Fall of shadows, p.2
Fall of Shadows, page 2
part #7 of Steven Gordon Series
‘Now you know all my secrets.’
The Bear laughed, ‘Let’s get back to it.’
There was a relieved look on the faces of the bridge crew when they returned. The Japanese shuttle pilot was standing by Charlie’s pilot. His eyes studied Charlie for a moment; Charlie indicated with his head that he should step away. He nodded his understanding and came over.
‘Have they filled you in on what is happening?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Take a seat.’ Charlie indicated the seat beside him.
The Japanese pilot talked to Charlie through Babes. ‘Don’t you think I should take over piloting the ship?’
‘No I don’t. Right now my crew are working well together. They are used to one another. Throwing a stranger into the pot during a crisis situation could upset the whole bridge crew. If I suspect that the pilot isn’t coping, or if we enter a combat situation, I am sure she will be more than eager to step aside. Until then, stay frosty and ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.’
‘Understood.’
Becca the pilot snapped a quick look and smiled to herself when she saw the pilot of Ico sitting down and relaxing. A little colour crept up into her cheeks. Cathy caught her eye and they shared a quick smile. This was the real deal, their first action together; more to the point Charlie was trusting them to do the job and not replacing any of them with senior staff.
Cathy half spun on her chair, ‘I have a city and spaceport on their present course.
‘Let’s get above that shuttle. I want to confirm with my own eyes that the crew are on board, then we will jump ahead to the spaceport.’
Becca increased their speed and drew them close to the shuttle.
‘Where do you want us sir?’
‘Directly above, couple of hundred feet.’
They slid into position. ‘Keep her still Becca.’
She smiled, ‘Yes sir.’
Charlie’s eyes pierced the hull. They were all lying where they had fallen.
‘Okay, I can confirm they are all on board the shuttle. Alright Becca and Cathy, get us to the spaceport, as quickly as you can without being detected.’
The Japanese pilot was confused, ‘How can you confirm that without scanning the ship?’
‘My eyes are false, didn’t you know that?’
‘Yes…’
‘I can see in almost as many spectrums as the ship can. They are designed on her sensors. Looking through the hull of a ship is nothing to me.’
‘They can’t detect that?’
‘No, call it x-ray vision if you will. Don’t worry, you won’t be irradiated sitting next to me.’
‘That is a relief Captain. I still wish to have children one day.’
Some of the girls giggled. Charlie shot him a scowl, he was rewarded with a small smile.
‘A first for both of us today.’
‘How so Captain?’
‘I never realised you had a sense of humour.’
The girls laughed, and it helped relieve the growing tension.
‘Keep sharp ladies,’ Charlie growled, ‘Retrieve all of the drones except for number three. ETA Cathy?’
‘At this speed, ten minutes sir. The shuttle will take about twenty-five minutes.’
‘That gives us fifteen minutes to prepare. Babes, I want you to prepare food, emergency dried rations for at least a week. Weapons, all chemical based. All personal weapons for Colonel Howe and his men, especially the silenced ones. A thousand rounds of ammo of each type and magazines. The other weapons are to be the guard’s weapons, 7.62 variety, all of them, and all the ammunition we have in stock for them. Fill the magazines for me if you can. Stun grenades; twenty should do it. Twenty high explosive grenades. Box the lot up.’
‘Rations for how many Charlie?’
‘Our people and the crew of Ico. Could you beam my personal weapons to me here, including both emergency escape tools?’
It was the first hint to the girls that he was going to leave them, and it showed on their faces. As his gear appeared Charlie began to dress.
‘Bear, you know the mission, can you take over from me please?’ He turned to the Japanese pilot, ‘Could you replace him at tactical please?’
The pilot got up and gave him a small bow. Charlie got dressed, tested the magazines had been filled correctly and smacked one home. He cocked his weapon and applied the safety. He walked out in front of the girls.
‘Listen in ladies. You have done a wonderful job today. Exemplary in fact. Your job now will be to escape this planet and alert Earth’s authorities. We can fly faster than anything this lot has got, so you should be able to get away. They counted on taking us by surprise, but your swift actions have given us a chance. Be proud. I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of the Bear and our Japanese pilot. Becca, if you get into a close quarter battle situation, you might want to swap places with him.’
She smiled, ‘Don’t worry Charlie, I’m not silly. What are you going to be doing?’
‘I’m going to stow away on the freighter somewhere, plant these weapons and supplies wherever they won’t be detected and try to rescue the guys.’
She shook her head, ‘How do you know there’s a freighter?’
‘Didn’t you see the symbols on the side of the shuttle? It’s an intergalactic trading consortium. Where else would it have come from but a freighter?’
‘Ah!’ She flushed. ‘Never noticed. Sorry!’
‘Babes, prepare an emergency beacon on a band and frequency that won’t be detected by anyone that doesn’t have the frequency.’
‘The easiest thing to do would be to take over the bridge of the freighter. I can prepare a chip you can plug in to the emergency system. One that will respond if it receives a signal from a search ship.’
‘I get you, rather than tip our hand by broadcasting continuously.’
‘That is correct.’
‘Nice one.’
Everything was ready by the time they reached the spaceport. Charlie pretended to scan all of the large freighters as they flew overhead, but he already knew which one it was.
‘That one. Bay thirty.’
‘What’s different about it?’ The Bear asked.
‘No freight, and a bunch of things in the hold that look like blenders.’
‘OH SHIT!’
‘It is full of troops. Any dampening field?’
‘Not yet,’ one of the girls replied.
‘They are wearing gas masks down there. I’m going to need one Babes.’
The Bear came to stand by his side, ‘I wish I could bloody see what was going on.’
‘The hold has been split up into a number of compartments. One part looks like it is set up to remove the nanites from their system. The other to process them. The bottom part still has some room for storage. Wait a moment.’
The screen came live. Babes transmitted what Charlie was seeing directly onto it. There were more than a few gasps. ‘See it now?’
‘I do. What’s that there behind those stacked containers, can you see it?’
‘I got it. Do you know what that is Babes?’
‘It is a secure locker.’
‘It is quite large.’
‘It holds valuable material. Access is controlled by the Captain.’
‘It looks full. Will all of our gear fit inside there?’
‘It should do.’
Charlie zoomed in on it. ‘Babes, can you identify anything?’
‘Half is a consignment of wine. It must be expensive. There is an engine part that has precious metals. Various other items.’
‘It must all be heading to the Albany home world.’
‘Can you zoom in on some of the labels Charlie?’
‘I can try.’
It took a moment for him to find one exposed. It proved a little difficult to focus properly. His nose began to bleed again.
‘I have it Charlie, you are right. It is addressed to the Albany home world.’
‘Then this freighter must be taking them straight there. Beam all that crap out of there. Put our stuff in and me.’
‘It might be air tight.’
‘Then add an oxygen bottle.’
‘There is something else you will need. If they are extracting the nanites, you will have to replace them.’
‘Is that necessary?’
‘Removing them can cause severe damage. Especially to Steven and Komoru.’ A dark block appeared at his side. He touched a foot to it and it began to dissolve. The nanites transfer to his body in a few seconds.
‘Let’s get this done before that shuttle arrives.’
He looked around the bridge one last time. He could see the worry on the girls’ faces. He smiled.
‘Don’t worry, I might give you all a cuddle when I get back.’
Their expressions changed; so did the Bear’s. Before he could say anything, Charlie dissolved in front of their eyes.
chapter 3
‘Get them on board, get them off loaded, and then get that shuttle out of here.’
Orders were being roared by officers in gas masks. The Humans were bundled unceremoniously onto the deck of the freighter. No sooner were they off than the shuttle slid out of the freighter. The dampening field had been switched on the moment it arrived.
The Human numbers were counted. ‘All here,’ a masked figure announced.
Their Commander looked them over. ‘So tiny a race, but so much trouble. Order the Captain to take off and rendezvous with the warships. Speed is of the essence. One of them got away, they are probably halfway back to Modloch space by now. Alert high command and tell them to launch the decoy parties immediately. Tell our forces to expect a huge response from the Humans. You can also inform the Haspsopot Emperor that we have our quarry and his payment will be delivered immediately.’
‘Yes sir.’
The Captain of the freighter had to wait in a queue before he could take off. It was a full half hour before they met the battleships in orbit. The Commander smiled as he saw the unconscious Humans.
‘Excellent, get them on board and let’s start processing them as quickly as possible.’
He was eager to get started. As soon as they were all on the freighter, most of the troopers cross decked back to their mother ship. That still left fifty to manhandle the Humans. They laughed at the males as they stripped them naked. Many took pictures to send home.
Bodies were heaved up on to tables. A machine clamped on to the inside of their thighs. Probes pierced their bodies and blood began to circulate around the table. A filter at one end began to darken as it trapped the nanites. Communication devices were ripped off. The Captains also had the plates ripped off their heads. The wounds were cauterised as the probes were removed and the bodies dragged through to the next compartment. It took hours to fill the first fifty blenders.
‘Drop them in feet first.’ The Commander roared as three of them were about to drop one large Human in on his head. They can die if left upside down.’
Reluctantly they turned the Human around and dropped him inside.
‘Aren’t they going to die anyway sir?’ Asked a bolder trooper as he finished his task.
‘You are right. They will die anyway, but we need them awake and screaming when they do. The adrenaline they produce makes a wonderful catalyst.’
The trooper laughed, ‘Can we film that for our children sir?’
‘Of course you can.’
The trooper roared with laughter, they were all very animated about it.
As the last one was dropped in, the Commander ordered the lids secured. There were still seventy Humans to process.
‘Have them secured to the floor. Make sure the vents in the processors are open. Begin to vent the gas. We will let them wake up. Then the fun will begin.’ He looked around. ‘We will retire for our meal. Keep a half dozen here on guard, with two scientists to monitor the gas levels and the Humans. We don’t know what damage has been caused by the removal of the nanites. Have me informed when they begin to recover.’
chapter 4
Charlie’s eyes flicked open for the hundredth time, penetrating the metal vault. The soldiers were leaving the freighter deck. His systems began to come back online. He took a deep lungful of oxygen. His eyes scanned the door. It was alarmed. He decided to go through the wall of his cell. His escape tool lit up the room briefly and the thick wall fell away. The palm of his hand slapped into the falling wall and he applied suction to his skin. He was able to lower the piece silently.
He put away the tool and pulled a silenced pistol from a holster with half a dozen magazines. His eyes scanned through the partitions. Only a quarter of the freighter’s massive deck was in use. Charlie raced across to the next partition. He used his eyes to search for an opportunity. When most of the workers were in the far partition, he slipped through.
He was now in the part where the large blenders stood. Anger infused him. He ran behind the last row nearest the bulkhead. Slipping deeper into the rows, he came up behind a trooper admiring the naked Humans in their jars. Charlie touched the pistol to the back of his ear and it hissed twice. The trooper dropped like a stone. He moved closer to the next partition and pulled a wire out of a unit.
A voice called from the next partition.
‘I have a failure in unit twenty-three, you two go check it. It looks like a connector has failed. Try pulling the wire out and in a couple of times.’
A minute later, two grumbling troopers appeared. They wound their way around the units until they reached twenty-three.
‘It has just come out!’ One of them roared.
‘Push it back in then.’ Came the order from the other side. As he bent over to shove the cable back in Charlie slipped behind his companion. The pistol hissed twice. The trooper heard it and swung round. Charlie tapped the pistol against his eye and it exploded. A second round followed it into the trooper’s head. Charlie replaced the magazine with a fresh one. That left him five troopers and two scientists to deal with. He reconnected the wire.
‘That’s better, was that so hard?’
Charlie modulated his voice. ‘If you aren’t happy come and do it yourself.’ He laughed aloud.
There was a moment stunned silence from the scientist. ‘How dare you. What’s your name?’
‘Come and find out if you dare, arsehole.’
There was a howl of rage. ‘Corporal, go drag that trooper through here now!’
His Corporal roared with disgust. ‘Gorgha, I am going to kick your arse out that bloody airlock. Get your arse through here.’
‘Come get it you prick.’
He gathered his troops and they rushed through to apprehend him. They stopped a few meters just inside the room.
‘Where are you, arsehole?’
‘Here,’ Charlie answered from behind. They were bunched up nicely. The last thing they saw was a streak of light. Five headless bodies flopped to the ground. Charlie put the tool away and grabbed his pistol. He came through the partition running at full speed.
The scientist barely had time to register his shock as a strange blur raced towards him. Two shots hissed out. The scientist dropped like a stone, both rounds entering one eye. Charlie was racing towards the last figure at the far end of the room. He seemed engrossed in his work, but Charlie knew he could turn any second. As Charlie stopped behind him, he realised that he was examining the dead nanites under a microscope.
The scientist detected a presence behind him. ‘These are fascinating.’
Charlie’s pistol hissed. ‘I’m sure they are.’ He told the corpse as it dropped.
Charlie dropped some nanites into the big filter. They began to absorb their brethren. Time was now his enemy. He ran back to where the first scientist had been standing. It was easy enough to read the gauges – the gas was halfway to being purged. He had no time to lose. He ran to the doors and, using his tool, welded them shut in one corner. From there he raced back to the other room and ripped out the powerlines from the nearest unit. He inspected it. A savage twist and the glass vessel was freed. Charlie toppled it over onto the ground and ripped off the lid.
Some of them popped off as the vessel hit the ground. He hesitated for a moment when he came to Komoru squatting unconscious in her vessel. Then he ripped it off and tossed it across the ground. She spilled naked from it. He ignored her and went to the next. Despite the fact he was almost purely mechanical now, he was still breathing hard as he came to the last unit.
He went from figure to figure. Nanites in his finger were transferred to each one. Lids were ripped off, bodies dragged out.
‘Too long, too long,’ he cursed, racing back to the control panel. The oxygen level was rising, the gas almost gone. He noticed the filter was now a seething mass of nanites; he grabbed it and raced back. He tossed it against the chains the others were held by. It spilled over, the chains began to dissolve. Nanites raced across it to their hosts. Charlie gave a grunt of satisfaction. The nanites he had hosted had repaired those in the filter and reprogrammed them. They now sought out their previous owners. Charlie sent them information. Lines of nanites began to spider web out from the chains. They were invisible to the naked eye, but Charlie could see them easily and stepped over them.
He ran back to the last partition and opened a large part of it. From there he raced back to the vault he had been concealed in. He heaved heavy cases across the floor of the freighter. They slid right across to the other side and almost through the partition. Close enough, Charlie thought, and began heaving the rest. He moved from the vault to the box nearest the partition and smashed it open. He retrieved a handful of rifles and then some filled magazines. He loaded the weapons and dropped them beside Howe and the other members of his team. Charlie knelt beside him and gave the Colonel an electric shock. Howe’s eyes snapped open. He coughed hard, his eyes unfocused.
Charlie ripped off his own mask, turned it up to pure oxygen and gave the Colonel a blast. His eyes cleared rapidly. He pushed Charlie’s hand away.
