Tremors of the Past

by Jamie A. Waters

  Kayla propped her terminal on a shelf and used Brant’s access codes to patch into the security feeds. Unfortunately, his codes didn’t provide them access to everything they needed.

  Glancing over at Veridian, she asked, “Where’s Xantham? I’m going to need him to hack into the system controls for me.”

  Brant frowned, peering over her shoulder. “You can’t do it? I thought you were an expert.”

  She zoomed in to study the rotation of the guards in the basement. They were more alert than she would have liked, but it made sense with the heightened security in the towers. “I’m good, but I can’t dodge the guards, climb the walls, and hack the controls at the same time. It’s all about delegation.”

  His eyes widened, and she chuckled.

  Veridian picked up a retractable rope and stuffed it in a bag. He gave Brant a pitying look and muttered, “Hope you packed something for an ulcer. If you keep hanging around Kayla, you’ll probably need it.”

  When Kayla elbowed him in the ribs, Veridian grunted and then winked at her. “Fine. Xantham’s on his way. He wanted to confirm the order to make sure they had the right pallet. These Omnis have been moving stuff around all day to accommodate the trading camps moving in.”

  Kayla nodded and focused again on the guard’s movements. At first glance, there wasn’t any recognizable pattern. But the longer she watched, the more she began to see a bit of routine. Two of the guards appeared to have a patrol system, but it was the third that was the wildcard. She suspected this wasn’t his usual assignment.

  Brant cleared his throat. “I’m not sure it’s wise to bring anyone else. We can’t be assured your former camp members aren’t working with the Coalition.”

  “We can trust Xantham,” Kayla replied. “But you’re right about keeping the number of people involved to a minimum. Alec’s going to be pissed when he finds out. I don’t want him taking it out on them.”

  A patterned knock at the door interrupted them. Veridian opened it, allowing Xantham and Felix to slip inside. At the sight of Felix, Kayla inwardly cursed.

  So much for keeping involvement to a minimum. “What are you doing here?”

  Felix swaggered over to her. With the same cocky smirk she remembered, he put his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

  Brant grabbed his wrist. “Release her. Now.”

  “Fuck you, man,” Felix snarled and tried to shove the security officer away. Brant sidestepped, twisting the ruin rat’s wrist. Felix swore and released Kayla, trying to take a swing at Brant, and the two men jostled into a nearby crate, causing it to topple over with a loud crash.

  “Knock it off! You’re going to get us caught,” Kayla snapped, grabbing Brant’s arm.

  The energy transference was enough to get his attention. He jerked away, continuing to eye Felix with a thunderous expression. Felix glowered in return and looked ready to go another round.

  Dammit. This was the last thing she needed. Kayla turned to Xantham. “Why did you bring him?”

  Xantham snorted. “Fuck it all to hell, Kayla. I didn’t have a choice. The guy was all over our system like a bad rash. He figured out you were going to try something. He’s got almost the same hacking signature you do.”

  Felix raised an eyebrow at Xantham, not bothering to hide his smug expression. “Of course the signatures are similar. Who the fuck do you think taught her?” Without waiting for an answer, he narrowed his eyes on Kayla. “You think I’m letting you pull something like this again without me? It’s not going to happen, crazy girl.”

  Kayla sighed. Xantham was right. She was already a decent hacker when she met Felix, but he had stepped things up to make her even better. His talents would definitely come in handy. As though sensing her resignation, Felix draped his arm over her shoulder. She didn’t miss the challenging look he gave Brant. The security officer’s jaw clenched as he slapped his hand to the butt of his weapon.

  Kayla scowled at them. Now wasn’t the time to figure out whose dick was bigger. She pulled away from Felix and started outlining her plan. “Okay. Xantham, I need you to hack into the environmental system on this level. With the increased security, I’m going to need to manually set off the alarm as a distraction. Your job is to make sure the doors are triggered to open so we can escape.”

  Xantham gave her a mock salute. “No problem. The pallet’s already been transferred to the docking area.”

  She turned back to Felix. “I’d have you access the environmental system, but I need you and Brant to connect the supply load to the transport while the guards are distracted by the alarms.” At Felix’s wicked grin, she added, “No fighting. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can, but I’m probably going to need a pick up. We’re only going to have a few minutes to get the transport out of the towers after the alarms shut off.”

  Brant frowned and eyed Felix with skepticism. “Does he even know how to drive a transport?”

  She shrugged. “Felix can drive anything with wheels. He’ll figure it out.”

  Veridian looked back and forth between them. “What do you want me to do?”

  Kayla bit her lip. This was the hard part. Even though she knew Veridian was willing to go with them, she needed him in the towers. He wasn’t going to be happy about it though. “I need you to run interference with Alec.” He started to object, but she grabbed his arm. “Please, V. He’s not going to listen to anyone except you. Alec knows how important you are to me. I just want you to try to keep him from chasing me down as long as you can. See if Seara can help you calm him down. As soon as I figure out where they’re keeping Carl, I’ll let OmniLab know.”

  She sighed and lowered her hand. “Lars wants to kill Alec. He wants to challenge him over this stupid bond. He’s trying to lure me out of the towers because he knows Alec will follow. I need to keep Alec here, but I have to get Carl out of there too.”

  Veridian frowned but nodded in agreement. “Fine. I’ll try, but he’s not going to listen. The minute he finds out you’re gone, he’s going to go after you.”

  Kayla turned away, knowing he was right, but she was out of options and out of time. Alec wouldn’t be in that council meeting forever. They needed to be out of the towers before he discovered she was missing. She gestured to the terminal Xantham had set up. “How long do you need to access the controls?”

  Xantham tapped in a few commands. “Alec gave us his codes when we worked on the program to mask the energy fluctuations on those bracelets. If his codes still work, I’ll need less than ten minutes. If not,” Xantham shrugged, “ we’re pretty much fucked. Either way, he’s gonna be pissed about this.”

  “Then let’s hope they still work.” After inserting her earpiece, Kayla grabbed a few pieces of equipment from the shelves and shoved the items into her pockets. “I’m going to get into position. Felix, while Xantham’s doing that, I need you to monitor the security feeds and guide me. Two of the guards are on a rotating pattern, but the third is a random.”

  Felix stepped over to her abandoned terminal and glanced over at Brant. “Hey, Fuckwad, do we have ears on your security friends’ comms or just visual?”

  If looks could kill, Brant would have roasted Felix alive by now. He grudgingly entered his access codes to connect Felix with the audio frequency. When he finished, Brant turned back to Kayla. “I’m going with you.”

  She shook her head. “It’s too risky. Besides, wouldn’t you rather stay here to keep an eye on everyone? You know, to make sure they’re not Coalition spies?”

  He turned, narrowing his eyes on Felix. Kayla bit her lip to keep from smiling. That little seed sown, she cracked open the door to peer outside. The coast was clear. Without waiting for Brant to raise any further objections, she headed toward the docking area.

  Felix’s voice came over her earpiece. “Okay, crazy girl, let’s get this done so your pet Omni will quit giving me the evil eye.”

  She grinned. “It might help if you stopp
ed provoking him. I’m almost at the docking area now.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Felix retorted. “Okay, I’ve got eyes on all three Omnis. Two of them are currently on the west end. The third is about to pass by the door. On my count, move in and hug the left wall.”

  She waited, poised in position, and replayed the guard’s patrol routes in her head. The adrenaline was starting to kick in, sharpening her senses and urging her to move. Timing was going to be everything.

  “Now,” he ordered.

  Keeping her footsteps as silent as possible, Kayla moved along the wall. The room was filled with shelves of crates and pallets on the floor with various supplies, their purposes mostly unknown. Over a dozen vehicular transports were housed within the basement, and Kayla recognized them as the ones used to deliver supplies to the trading camps. She’d need to create a distraction so Felix and Brant could attach the supply load without detection.

  Kayla scanned the aisles, trying to determine the best place to start climbing. Unfortunately, most of the crates were stacked evenly and didn’t come close enough to reach the beam.

  “Dammit. One of the bastards just turned around. Hide fast,” Felix instructed.

  Kayla swore inwardly and ducked behind a large crate, using the shadows to mask her movements. She was still too exposed. If the guard spotted her, there wasn’t much room to hide. Footsteps approached rapidly, halting almost directly in front of the crate where she was hiding. She froze, able to make out the edge of the man’s gray security uniform from her position.

  “I’m not sure. I thought I saw something,” the guard told someone over his comm unit.

  Kayla swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She reached down, her fingers wrapping around the stunner. Dammit. If she took him down, it would only alert the other guards.

  “I’ve got you,” Felix said through her earpiece.

  A moment later, screeching feedback blared from the guard’s comm unit. The guard swore loudly, bumping into a nearby crate and causing it to fall. The noise spurred her into action.

  Diving backward, Kayla dodged out of the guard’s line of sight. She scrambled upright, pressing herself between crates and trying to put as much distance between herself and the wildcard guard. She followed the aisle down to the far side of the room, giving a silent thanks to Felix’s quick thinking.

  Kayla squeezed behind another large set of containers, navigating forward until she was directly below the beam she wanted. Her heart pounded, reminding her that precious seconds were being wasted.

  The towering stack of crates in front of her would have to do. The guards would be circling around any second. She gripped the edge of the metal lip of the nearest container and used her arms to pull herself on top of it. Leaning forward, she made a small jump to the next set of containers.

  “Thirty seconds until they’re around the corner,” Felix warned.

  Balancing precariously on a metal crate, Kayla reached upward for the next container. The injury at her side protested the stretching, but there was no time for alternatives. She continued scrambling up the crates, using the slight gaps between the stacked containers as hand and footholds. Higher and higher, she continued climbing until she was within touching distance of the beam.

  With one last burst of speed, Kayla pushed herself off the top crate. Airborne, she hooked her arm over the beam and slammed into the side, her injury screaming in agony. She lifted her leg, scissoring it over the beam, and pulled herself upright. From her position, she could see the two guards beginning to approach.

  “Hold that position.”

  Only too happy to comply, Kayla pressed her forehead against the cool metal of the beam. She forced herself to take some deep, calming breaths. Nothing like close calls to get the blood pumping. She looked over the side, watching the two guards talking to one another.

  “Nah. It was probably just interference on the comms. Just put it in the report so maintenance can take a look.”

  The other guy muttered something, too low for Kayla to hear. As they continued their patrol, their stances became a bit more relaxed.

  Crisis averted, she touched her side to see if she’d torn open the fusing again. At least there wasn’t any blood. Somewhat reassured, she began inching along the beam that crossed the length of the warehouse. The panel box for the fire suppression equipment was located on the far side of the room. Other than pausing periodically to monitor the guards, she continued making steady progress. It was almost strange how people never seemed to look up.

  Once she was within arm’s length of the equipment, Kayla pulled out some packing material and the miniature hand torch she’d swiped from the storage room. She twisted the material enough so it would hold its form and then tapped her earpiece.

  Xantham’s voice came over her earpiece. “Veridian’s taking over watching the guards. Felix and Brant are moving into position to start the transfer. On my mark, let’s light it up and get these doors open. Ready… Go!”

  Pressing the button on the hand torch, Kayla lit the packing material on fire. A small blaze began to glow, and she held it toward the box. Nothing happened. She needed more smoke. Leaning closer to the flame, she carefully blew on it. Within seconds, the fire had fully engulfed the packing material and was emitting a healthy dose of smoke. A few seconds later, a siren pierced the air. Fire suppression foam began pouring from vents in the ceiling. She tossed the burnt packing material over the side of the beam. It was submerged seconds later.

  Shouts of alarm came from somewhere below, but she disregarded them. Her job was done. Now it was up to the rest of the team.

  A moment later, Xantham’s voice came back over the earpiece. “Fuck, fuckity fuck. Alec’s codes were changed. I can’t get in to open the damn doors. Hang on, let me try something else.”

  “Move it, Xantham. We’re almost out of time,” Felix warned.

  “Shit, I know!” Xantham muttered several more colorful oaths under his breath.

  The large bay door closest to her began to slide open, and Kayla winced at the bright light. Dammit. They’d opened the wrong door. She needed to get the rest of her UV gear before she damaged her eyes or was burned to a crisp. Kayla tried to turn around on the beam to start her descent, but her fingers slipped, unable to find purchase in the greasy foam. It kept pouring out, trailing over the beam to the top of the containers and onto the floor.

  “Shut off the fucking foam!” Kayla shouted into her earpiece. It didn’t matter who heard her at this point. She was about to be nothing more than an ugly smear on the basement floor. At least the foam covering her was offering some slight protection from the sun.

  It was still pouring out for a good minute until it finally shut off. The alarm, however, was still blaring. She wrapped her arms and legs around the beam, using her weight to keep her balanced. There was no way she was climbing out of here with the greasy substance coating everything. Unfortunately, the longer she stayed in place, the more likely she’d end up causing irreversible damage from the elements.

  The loud sound of a transport engine starting up cut through the sound of the siren, and as the engine roared, growing louder, she heard another voice in her earpiece.

  “Drop down, crazy girl!”

  Some of the foam trailed down her forehead and into her eyes. She brushed it away, squinting over the side of the beam. The transport was almost directly below her. And Felix thought she was crazy?

  With no other option—unless she wanted Alec to come down and clean up her mess—she took a deep breath and released her grip on the beam. She landed on the top of the transport with a loud thump.

  “Fuck, that hurt,” Kayla muttered, wincing as she rubbed her abused side. Carl was going to give her so much shit when he found out what she’d done.

  Before she could even move, Brant’s hands wrapped around her and pulled her off the top of the vehicle. He helped her into the transport and said, “You really are crazy, you know that?”

  “So I’ve bee
n told,” she agreed and tried to wipe off some of the greasy foam. It was everywhere. Until she got a shower and managed to wash off the rest of it, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Brant slammed the transport door shut, sandwiching her between himself and Felix. At least the transport offered protection from the sun.

  “Drive like hell,” she said to Felix.

  With a responding grin, he revved the engine and pulled the heavy transport out into the sunlight. She reached over to grab one of the bags from the floorboard and pulled out a multi-purpose tool. Twisting her body, she crouched down to access the area under the dashboard and used the tool to remove the cover panel.

  “What are you doing?” Brant demanded, grabbing her arm to stop her.

  Kayla shrugged him off. “Reprogramming the control board. OmniLab isn’t going to crash our little party until we’re good and ready.”

  Brant gaped at her, but she ignored him and focused on her task.

  “Xantham didn’t open that door,” Felix informed her.

  Kayla glanced up at him, frowned, and focused again on the control board. She didn’t think it was Xantham either. He was too meticulous to make such a careless mistake.

  “Of course he did,” Brant argued. “How else did the bay doors open?”

  Felix shrugged. “No idea, but whoever did it opened the wrong fucking door. Kayla could have died.”

  Brant frowned, his forehead creasing as he considered Felix’s words. “Are you suggesting someone tried to kill Kayla again?”

  Felix glanced over at her and arched a brow. “Again? You getting into more trouble without me?”

  Kayla grinned. “Always, but I’m glad to have you along to bail me out this time. I think Brant’s getting tired of it.” She stripped another wire from the control board and routed the power to a different part of the board. “I’m not going to complain though. I don’t know what they were hoping to accomplish by opening that door, but it got us out of there.”