Test Subjects

by R S Penney

  There was no way she was getting anywhere near the detention cells. Any moment now, more Keepers would come flooding around the corner. She was good, but even she couldn't fight her way through that many. In fact, she just might see a detention cell after all…if they stuffed her into one. Oh well. Those were the risks you took.

  Besides, her little incursion wasn't the real threat.

  Crouched by a flowerbed in the park across the street, Leo watched Justice Keeper Headquarters. The gleaming spire rose fifteen stories into the air with tinted windows on each level. His eyes focused upon the southwest corner of the third floor. Data Isara had gathered during her brief stay here indicated that was where the detention centre would be located. Indeed, he could see evidence of it.

  There were no windows in that corner, not until you reached the sixth floor, and duroplastic shielding provided extra protection. Standard weapons wouldn't do very much against that. Particle beams might!

  Grinning with delicious anticipation, Leo lowered his eyes to the grass beneath his shoes. “All right, Isara,” he said. “You've done your part. Now, I'll do mine.”

  He tapped a button on his multi-tool.

  Two Death Spheres that had been sitting in the grass behind him floated up with a slight buzzing sound and zipped across the street. They took position near the building, hovering at about third-floor height, one on the south side and one on the west.

  And they fired.

  Two orange particle beam's converged upon the southwest corner, but instead of slicing cleanly through the duroplastic, they hit a curtain of flickering static that snapped into place at the very last second. A powerful force-field. Leo felt uneasy. True, he didn't know much about the Keeper's security systems, but he had not anticipated force-fields.

  The Death Spheres intensified their attack, and the force-field only grew brighter to compensate. Portable generators only provided you with a few seconds of protection, but these shield emitters were tied directly into the city's power grid. It wouldn't surprise him to learn that they could withstand bombardment from a starship.

  He snarled with teeth gritted, a growl rumbling in his throat. “Come on!” he hissed. “Punch through.”

  The particle beams winked out, and the Death Spheres floated backward, bobbing and weaving in random patterns. They needed a moment to recharge themselves before trying again. Sadly, they wouldn't get the chance.

  Three egg-shaped security drones floated out from behind the skyscraper and sped toward the Death Spheres. Having identified non-living opponents, they switched to EMP rounds and began firing.

  White tracers pounded one of the Death Spheres, shredding through its outer casing and causing it to fall to the ground with sparks flashing. The damn thing exploded mere seconds after it landed.

  The other Sphere swiveled to point its lens at the newcomers and unleashed a bright orange particle beam that sliced two drones in half. Chunks of melted duroplastic landed in the yard outside the building.

  More drones joined their fallen comrades and then the whole area was abuzz with activity. White tracers flying this way and that, orange laser blasts flashing through the air. It was almost too much to track with the naked eye.

  One of those egg-shaped monstrosities twisted to point its scanning lens right at Leo, and then it began to float across the street. “What?” he whispered. “How?” He had no time to contemplate, however.

  When the drone got close enough, it began spitting stun-rounds at him. Leo raised both hands to shield himself, crafting a Bending that made the air shimmer. Bullets that should have struck him instead curved off to his left and hit the ground.

  He kept one hand up to maintain the Bending and used the other to draw a pistol from his belt holster, setting the weapon for EMP rounds. Rolling sideways, Leo flipped onto his back and fired without looking.

  A charged bullet ripped through the drone's shell, causing it to flit about aimlessly. He fired three more shots before that hunk of junk fell to the ground and died with a final sparking crackle as smoke rose from its inner circuitry.

  That gave him just enough time to look up.

  Sliding doors in the base of the skyscraper opened to allow more advanced drones to come out. These were bulkier devices with two large cannons in front, and they moved on tank treads.

  “Oh no…” Leo whispered.

  He put up an accelerated Time Bubble, the air around his body warping. Everything was blurry to his eyes: the green grass, the trees, the building across the street. He could make out the tank drones, however. Not with precise clarity but enough for him to put a bullet in each.

  Leo rose, firing two shots at one, then twisting and firing two more. White tracers appeared just beyond the confines of his bubble, beginning their slow, inexorable journey across the street. It would have to do.

  Turning his back on the commotion, he let the bubble collapse, and he ran at full speed deeper into the park. Leo didn't look back. Spatial awareness wasn't perfect, but he could tell that the tank drones weren't advancing on him.

  The flying robots, however, were another story.

  Two of those sped across the street in hot pursuit.

  Leo ran across the cobblestones that encircled a bronze statue of Zaya Tyree, one of the first Justice Keepers. He took cover behind it, staying down and pressing his back to the statue's stone base.

  His mouth tightened, and he felt sweat on his brow. “You're not taking me back that easy.” He twisted around the side of the statue and fired at one of the drones. A lucky shot sent a bullet right through the robot's scanning lens, causing it to fall. “Multi-tool active!” Leo shouted. “Contact Isara!”

  The tool chirped in confirmation.

  “We've failed!” Leo barked. “Retreat!”

  Rajel and Melissa were side by side, blocking her path. The girl had blood leaking from the corner of her mouth, and Rajel wasn't doing much better. His sunglasses were mangled, the lenses cracked.

  Isara smiled her cruelest smile. “It's been fun,” she said. “Thanks for having me.”

  Much to her frustration, three more Keepers came rushing up the corridor behind her. Now, she was effectively trapped. There was no way she could fight her way through that many. Good thing she had expected this.

  Retrieving a small circular device from her pants' pocket, Isara flung it sideways. Some adhesive on the back let it stick to the wall, and then green LEDs began to blink in a steady pattern. “Initiate hypersonic pulse!” she bellowed.

  The high-pitched whine that filled her ears was grating, but the mild annoyance she felt was nothing compared to the loss of equilibrium as sonic pulses agitated the fluid in her inner ear. All the others felt it as well.

  Melissa sank to her knees with hands covering her ears. Rajel stumbled backward, bracing one hand against the corridor wall. The three behind her were no better. One man cried out in pain. Fortunately, Isara had trained for this. It was torture, but she had learned to maintain some level of mobility.

  She spun around to find two Keepers on their knees with hands clutching the sides of their heads. One was down on all fours, groaning. With a supreme effort of will, Isara jumped over them and almost fell flat on her face when she landed on the other side. She stumbled drunkenly through the corridor, running for the lobby.

  Lurching sideways despite her best efforts, she slammed into the wall and bounced off it. She kept running, feet stomping with every step, arms flailing just to keep herself upright. The lobby. She had to reach the lobby.

  Once she was out of the corridor, it was easier. The walls provided some protection from the hypersonic pulses. Ignoring her dizziness, she ran for the hold in the window. Glass crunched beneath her shoes.

  Isara leaped through the gap and ran down the steps.

  There were egg-shaped security drones floating above the yard outside the building. Two swiveled to point weapons at her.

  Without thought, she thrust a hand out to the side and crafted a Bending. Charged bullets
curved away from her body and sped off into the distance behind her. Maybe one would hit some Keeper who thought to follow her.

  Carrying the Bending with her as she moved was difficult – her skin was starting to tingle – but she managed it. The drones were swarming like angry bees. There were three of them, all focused on her.

  Once she reached the sidewalk, Isara released her Bending and used Bent Gravity to propel herself across the street. Toward the squat stone building adjacent to the park. She landed on the lawn.

  Drones were flying up behind her.

  Isara jumped, bullets striking the ground where her feet had been. Curling up into a ball, she crashed through a window and found herself in a museum of some sort. At least, that's what she thought.

  There were statues of historical figures she recognized: Zaya Tyree, Jeral Labec, others. The tiled floor was polished, the air was cool, and she was fairly sure that she would not encounter much resistance. She was also sure that those security drones would be following her through the window any moment now.

  Gritting her teeth against the burning sensation in her skin, Isara shook her head. “Move!” she shouted. “Move!”

  She ran without looking back.

  Panting and gasping, Leo placed one hand against the wall of his sewer tunnel, his head hanging with fatigue. “Damn it,” he whispered. “Why do I let them force me into these stupid schemes.”

  His skin prickled from the strain of using his symbiont's abilities. It had been touch and go for a moment there, trying to outmaneuver those damned security drones. Luckily, they hadn't chased him far. Leo suspected that Isara was the sweeter prize. The Keepers would focus their efforts on her.

  With any luck, Isara would die from a stray bullet. That would give him no small amount of pleasure. Leo had never been afraid of any woman until the day that a hooded figure had shown up to teach him a lesson in humility.

  His lips parted, revealing clenched teeth. He hissed and shook his head forcefully. “This is the last time,” he promised himself. “The last time that I let that bitch squander my abilities on one of her stupid-”

  Leo rounded a corner into a narrower tunnel.

  A hand seized his throat and lifted him right off the floor. When his assailant moved into the light, he got a good look at her face, but Leo did not need to see her to recognize Isara grinning up at him. “What was that you said?” she cooed. “About the last time that I squander your abilities?”

  Red-faced and gasping, Leo cursed the tears that streamed over his cheeks. “Let me go,” he croaked. “Please!”

  “I thought you would be a good dog.”

  “Release me!”

  He grabbed Isara's wrist with both hands and tried to pry her fingers off his throat, but her grip was just too strong. Those fingers dug into his flesh and made it difficult to breathe. “I am!” Leo squeaked. “I am a good dog!”

  “Good dogs are obedient.”

  Isara spun him around and slammed his back against the tunnel wall. Leo grunted from the impact. “I will do as I'm told,” he whimpered.

  Abruptly, he dropped to the floor when Isara dropped him, landing on his knees. He was down on all fours and gasping. “Good,” Isara said. “Because we have work to do.”

  “What work?”

  “Recovering the telepath has proven to be unfeasible. It seems Larani has upgraded her security systems. The Inzari will not be pleased by our failure…So, we'll just have to make it up to them some other way.”

  Chapter 24

  “Take me through it again.”

  Morris Desarin stood behind the SmartGlass desk in his cramped office, looking sharp in that black uniform. The man had one of those puzzled expressions you saw on people who didn't quite believe the good news.

  Anna suspected that he had been like that since the moment that she had burst onto his bridge to proclaim that she knew how to find Jack. She would have laughed at some of the reactions she got from the bridge officers if not for the fact that she was too damn eager to get started. The crew of this ship was definitely giving her some side-eye, and her exuberance wasn't helping matters.

  After a quick vibe shower and a change of clothing, she had made her way back to the command deck to lay the plan out in detail. Now, she sat in front of the captain's desk, perfectly calm and collected. “The answer has been right in front of us this whole time,” Anna said. “The SuperGate.”

  Touching three fingers to his mouth, Desarin squinted at the wall behind Anna. “I'm afraid you've lost me,” he said. “How does the Gate help us?”

  Anna leaned back with a smile on her face. It was hard to resist the urge to laugh. Not at the Captain's ignorance but at the simplicity of her plan. “Ordinary SlipGates have all kinds of safety protocols,” she explained. “Protocols that are designed to protect both the traveler and anyone who might be in the immediate vicinity.

  “For instance, a Gate won't accept an incoming traveler if something is blocking the way. That's why you get those periodic reminders at every terminal. 'Please do not linger in front of the SlipGate.' ”

  “Right…”

  “To do that,” Anna went on, “the Gate has to constantly monitor its surroundings. Proximity scans, thermal scans, you name it. Engineers used to say that you should never have a conversation in front of a SlipGate because Overseers will hear it.”

  Desarin stepped back, bracing one hand against the wall behind his desk. A scowl revealed his dislike for that last bit. “So, the Overseers are spying on us,” he said. “That's kind of implied by the name. How does this help us?”

  Pursing her lips, Anna looked up to meet the man's gaze, then nodded slowly. “It stands to reason that the Class-2 Gates work on similar principles,” she said. “Constantly monitoring their surroundings.”

  The captain's face lit up with a huge grin. “Meaning this one saw everything that happened!” He sounded as excited as Anna felt. “The enemy ship's arrival, the battle.”

  “And everything that happened afterward.”

  “We can track them?”

  “We can track them.”

  Desarin's elation died when he dropped in his chair, set his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers over the top of his head. “Except it took our best scientists thirty years to develop software that could interface with a standard SlipGate,” he mumbled. “The data dump we received when the SuperGates went online lets us pick a destination and go, but diagnostics? Sensor data? We can't access that.”

  This time, it was Anna who smiled. “No, we can't,” she admitted. “But I happen to know someone who can.”

  Anna stood up and tapped commands into her multi-tool. Her fingers flitted over the screen as she ordered the communications app to interface with the nearest SlipGate. “Initiate communication protocol Morane 347-A.”

  It wasn't long before a hologram appeared above Desarin's desk. The spectral figure seemed to be made of swirling red characters in the vague shape of a human body. Ven's head turned, but it was hard to say just what she was looking at. “Operative Lenai. What can I do for you.”

  Anna crossed her arms and nodded to the hologram. “Ven,” she said. “Good to see you again. From what Larani tells me, you were able to access sensor data from one of the Class-2 Gates.”

  “That's correct.”

  “So, I assume you created software that could interface with the Gate's systems.” The hologram said nothing in response to that. Ven merely studied Anna with what might have been a skeptical expression. Her facial features weren't all that well-defined. “Could you adapt that software to make it compatible with the computer systems on a Phoenix-Class cruiser?”

  The hologram lifted a ghostly hand to its cheek, and something that sounded like a grunt of displeasure came through the speaker on Anna's multi-tool. “I could,” Ven said. “But I'm hesitant to share such technology.”

  “Why's that?” Desarin inquired.

  Ven turned her head to look at him. “It would give your people a distin
ct advantage over other space-faring civilizations,” she answered. “My goal is to prevent a war, not to start one.”

  The captain wheeled his chair back from the desk and stood up with a flushed face. It looked like he was about to lecture one of his officers. “Correct me if I'm wrong, Ven,” he said. “But you were created on Leyria. Don't you feel any loyalty to us?”

  “Of course I do,” Ven replied without so much as a particle of anger in her tone. “I would not have given Director Tal information on the movements of Ragnosian ships if I did not. But software of this type can have military applications.”

  Anna sat down with her hands clasped in her lap, her head hanging as she let out a breath. “My partner was taken by the Ragnosians,” she said. “After he went on a mission to gather intel about their movements on the edge of our space.”

  Ven watched her.

  “You were the reason he went on that mission,” Anna pressed on. “I need your help to bring him back. If it will set your mind at ease, we'll destroy the program once we have what we need.”

  For a little while, there was tense silence as Ven's hologram floated above the desk. Then a buzzing voice came through the speaker on her multi-tool. “Very well. I will make the necessary modifications.”

  “Thank you, Ven.”

  Novol Raan dug a spoon into the small container of porridge that would serve as his breakfast. Cinnamon and apple. Not his favourite flavour, but it would do. He lifted the spoon and watched a chunk of apple fall back into the bowl.

  Seated at a round table in the security officers' mess, Novol wore only black pants and a matching t-shirt. His gaunt-cheeked face of tanned skin and tilted eyes would have been considered handsome once, but the broken nose he had received from the Justice Keeper had likely ruined that.

  The two other men in the mess hall were both quiet. Taen Sevora was standing with one foot propped up on a chair, bent forward as he tied his shoe. He gave Novol a quick glance and then shook his head. Well, that was the reaction you usually got whenever you said something people didn't want to hear.