I’ll show that hussy what’s what… she muttered unintelligibly as she connected a couple of components and tried arranging items in her virtual display.
“Yuki, I may need a bit of your help to interface this with BoJack; you up for a sync?”
“Show me what ya got.”
“…aaaand done! Try that, Yuki. It works in the sim. Your mileage may vary.” She handed a small contraption that looked like the guts of a small phone. “You can connect here.” Aurora pointed to a USB port.
“Wow, old school. Weird flex, but okay. BoJack, accept my party invite. Good. Here goes.” She held the compass interface in her hand and blinked. “Oh, that’s actually kind of clever. Let me make a quick adjustment… that should do it. BoJack, accept that widget.”
“Now wha—wow. That’s pretty cool. Seneschal, I’m getting a reading of ninety-five degrees,” BoJack said with wonder. “It’s jumping around a bit but that’s close.”
“Yuki, I’m sure you can triangulate with a couple of readings? Comparing our current GPS with the next reading?”
Yuki nodded as she chomped on her gum. “Then we can extrapolate his position, I get you. Yeah, and I can check satellites as well, and that will tell us something about where we’re heading and what to expect there. Hopefully, the satellite system is still as easy to hack as when I was twelve. Got current coordinates, thanks, Sen.”
“How long should that take?” BoJack wondered aloud.
“Five, maybe ten minutes?”
“You’re really that good?” he asked incredulously.
“You have no idea…”
“Got it! It’s close to Johannesburg, South Africa. Target is about fifty miles southwest of there. Change your heading to these coordinates.”
“Adjusting… ETA is four hours, thirty-seven minutes.”
“How fast are we moving? I don’t feel anything!”
“A smidge over Mach two. I love it. This is the smoothest ride I’ve ever had. The predictive algorithms for the dampers compensate for fluctuations in existing temperature, wind currents. Top shelf. Yuki, what’s it look like where we’re going?”
“Pretty obvious. It’s a huge hole in the ground.”
“A trap?”
“It looks like a mine. Hmm. The world’s deepest mine, deep as ten Empire State buildings…”
Darik whistled, impressed.
“I hate confined spaces,” Yuki pouted.
“This was partly your idea, Yuki…” Harmony reminded her.
“I know. But I still hate it. I can’t sit on the sidelines for this one. You’ll need me to hack the doors and security. I’ll be fine. Just don’t tease me and get me worked up. Got it?” She glared at Harmony and then at Darik. When they agreed, she went on. “I’m reviewing the last three days footage, and I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Transports are docking and leaving all the time. Mengele could have been on any of those—you can’t see the call signs from above, and I’m just going on satellite feeds. A lot of these ships look the same to me. It’s hard to tell without a frame of reference, this could be normal mine activity. Who knows?”
“I don’t like it,” Darik said.
“But what can we do? This is probably how he has remained hidden. Doing his work from shadows,” Grimdark added.
“We will be fine if we just focus on our objective. All we’re doing is sneaking in and getting Gus out of there. No heroics. No revenge or retribution. Get in, get out. Remember the plan. Done. Everybody on board?”
“When we get close enough, I can try to remote hack the facility. I won’t be able to get much, but I’m hoping for some schematics. That’ll help us finalize our entry points and tactics.”
“Yuki, we’re ready for another reading,” Seneschal said over the comms.
“Already?” BoJack rattled off the current coordinates.
“Course correcting, thanks.”
“Everyone has their projects, get to work. We only have a couple of hours.”
The corsair was large enough that it took some time to find a place to land without obstruction.
The Crew filed out and made a beeline for the hangars. Yuki had found a single shaft descending to a section isolated from the rest of the mine. It annexed the mine at different levels, but ran parallel to the depth of the mine, though it was straight and narrow like a core sample. The mine itself was a multi-tiered circular pit.
“Hold up, guys. This area is much more sophisticated than it looks.”
“It’s dirty and run down.”
“On the surface. That rusted metal on the hangar is mere siding. Pressure plates are there, there, and there,” Yuki warned, pointing to different patches on the dirt road and forest. “Follow me.”
They filed after her and she swiped the information to their displays. The hangar door was quickly hacked and they headed inside.
“That’s it, alright, and the tracker’s still there.” Aurora pointed to Mengele’s ship.
“I recognize it too. Good to know we’re on the right track,” Darik agreed. “So we go down this elevator, huh?
“Looks like it.”
Darik squinted at the floor of the lift, and stomped once or twice then listened. “Are you guys up for a little adventure?” he asked as the rest of them joined him in the lift.
“Darik, NO!” was all Harmony got out before a large portal opened up below them and then they were all falling down the shaft below the lift.
“Don’t overthink it!” he cackled with glee as they began to pick up speed. The chill air rapidly warmed as they fell, musty and earthy. Lights began to flicker, then strobe as they fell faster and faster, passing various levels. A dull orange glow grew in intensity as they fell. Harmony hugged herself tightly, while Aurora slowed her own descent with her flight skill, pulling away from the others.
When impact was imminent, the Keeper opened another portal and they shot out the exit, flying back up the shaft. Darik alternated the polarity of the portals and they quickly slowed as gravity acted like brakes. When they had slowed sufficiently, he let the group land on the cement pad among four mammoth springs on plinths.
Harmony’s hair was wild and disheveled as she fumed. “Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again!” Everyone pressed fingers to lips and shushed her as her shrill scream echoed in the narrow shaft. She pursed her lips but continued to glare.
“Look how fast we got down here,” Darik whispered and shrugged. “Sometimes you just have to jump in the pool. Don’t overthink it.” They climbed the nearby ladder as Darik made another portal through the heavy metal doors, and they crawled out onto the Berber carpet that was definitely out of place in a mine.
Bright lights illuminated the corridor, and even the temperature was regulated to normal levels. If one did not know better, they might suppose they were in an office building of some sort. Yuki knelt by a nearby keypad next to a door and tried to sync with the system.
After a brief pause, she shook her head. “These aren’t part of the main network, unfortunately. I can tell that no one has unlocked, entered, or exited these offices for a while, so thank goodness for small favors. We’ll have to find someplace else—”
A tremor rocked the floor, causing the group to stagger.
“What was that?” Anastasia gasped.
“Earthquake?” Yuki said, face draining of color.
Lights flickered and went out briefly, kicking on again after a second.
“I can feel him more strongly now. He’s this way,” BoJack pointed down a hallway. They began to head down the corridor when the lights went out and they were plunged into the dark.
Chapter Eighty-Three
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
“Harmony, what do you got?” Darik asked, looking up at her.
“It feels empty. I can only sense two minds besides us. Even if there were someone hiding with shielding for mental protection, there still is an ambient pressure that I can feel. Unless this guy is using mechs, it should only be Gus and Men
gele.”
“Can you tell anything about his emotional state?” BoJack asked.
“It’s kind of stormy. I’m getting a lot of reds.”
“Reds?”
“Yeah, emotions have a flavor, or color. Reds are usually fight or flight responses. Anger, severe fear, pain. Those kinds of things.”
“Can you tell how strong he is?” BoJack asked with bated breath.
“Sort of? The colors are really vivid, which usually is a good sign. When someone is very ill or about to pass, the colors fade to blacks, grays, and whites.”
BoJack exhaled deeply.
“What about Mengele?” Grimdark added.
“The same. He has blues and a tinge of green mixed into his reds. Kind of psychedelic.”
“What do blue and green represent?”
“Blue is deep thought and excitement, when you are really engaged in a fulfilling task. Green is shame.”
“Shame? He can feel that? The guy’s a psychopath!” Darik huffed.
“It can also be insecurity, embarrassment, or humiliation too. They’re all similar and hard to distinguish exactly when the other colors taint them. Blue isn’t good for Gus though. It means Mengele is enjoying what he’s doing right now.”
“So he could be torturing Gus as we speak! Let’s get moving, we may not have much time.”
Anastasia gently grabbed BoJack’s shoulder as he started to head for the doorway. “Running in unprepared will do us no good,” she warned.
“It’s a miracle he’s even alive. What are we waiting around for?”
“You know protocols, BoJack. Chill. If I can find some terminal or kiosk, I can deactivate any latent defenses, then we can proceed without being blindsided.”
“Well let’s get the show on the road then, Yuki. What else do we all need to do?”
“Green lights on everyone’s wristbands?” Aurora asked. Everyone gave a quick check and mumbled agreement. “Remember, you only have enough for one charge. Once it kicks in, you’re draining the energy cell until it’s gone. So make sure you don’t use it by reflex. I can’t make any more,” she warned.
“This schematic is wrong,” Yuki said as she analyzed the corridor’s layout. “While plumbing, ventilation, and electrical are largely the same, the blueprint shows a corridor going straight here, where there’s only a wall.”
“A secret passage?”
“Possibly. Or faulty data meant to confuse. It could just as easily be a trap.”
“It’s always something.”
“I’ll check it out, wait here,” Anastasia mentioned as she walked toward the wall. Her form began to glow, and a purple outline surrounded her frame as she became more incorporeal, fading from view right as she reached it.
The Crew waited in eager anticipation and time ground to a halt. Grimdark strained to hear but only shook his head as the others stared at him.
After about five minutes, Anastasia popped back into the room with a purple flash.
“Yuki is right. There’s a corridor there. The floor and walls appear identical the whole length—illuminated tile. It runs for about two-hundred-fifty feet. I didn’t see any sensors or anything, but I couldn’t phase through the walls there, which was a little unsettling. There’s a bulwark at the far end of the corridor, also unphasable, so I don’t know what’s beyond,” she reported.
“That’s pretty close to the central hub. None of these rooms are labeled, but the fixtures would indicate nearby labs,” Yuki remarked.
“If we can even trust them, that is,” Darik said. “So, are we breaking it down or portaling through?”
“We don’t seem to have set off any alarms so far, why don’t we try to keep it that way?” Anastasia replied.
“As you wish.” Darik placed his hands on the wall and spread them wider, pulling open a large portal. A warm almond-colored light glowed from the panels beyond.
The Crew stepped through and Yuki held up a fist. “Guys, this area is shielded, which is weird. No signals can go in or out. Be on your guard,” she warned.
“Hold on.” Aurora began to float and started moving down the passageway. She moved past panel after panel. When she was near the midpoint, she reached a tentative toe to the next panel and put some weight on it. Nothing happened. She put more and more until her full weight was on the ground. Turning back to the group she continued to walk, sliding a foot in front of her and probing for any triggers.
“I don’t like this,” Anastasia said, holding her hands close to her mouth, unable to bite her nails while wearing gloves.
“We’ve got these, she’ll be fine,” Darik said shaking his wristband.
Slowly Aurora crept back, as if navigating a minefield until she was back with the Crew. “That bodes well; proximity and pressure don’t seem to set off anything.”
“Yet…” Darik added, holding a finger up.
“You’re such a troll!” Harmony griped.
“Yeah, but I’m an alive troll, sweetheart,” he said with an exaggerated wink.
The group proceeded carefully down the corridor. If anything, the soft lighting was warm and soothing. When they reached the middle, Aurora took flight and moved forward again, this time half the distance remaining to the far bulkhead. Once again, she worked her way back, probing as she went.
“This is dumb. We’re taking too long. I can feel him—we’re getting so close,” BoJack said impatiently.
“It does seem like this may just be a shortcut. Maybe it’s shielded so people can’t find out about it with scans or some such?”
“I still don’t like it.”
“Let’s check out this bulkhead,” BoJack turned and pushed past Aurora and stepped beyond into the untested areas. After three panels he turned back. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He continued until he was in front of the large door. He turned back. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Everyone followed.
“I can’t see a way to open it; there’s no controls. At least on this side. This section of corridor looks like all the rest.”
The group got to probing the walls and bulkhead, looking for some kind of mechanism or switch.
“Looks like it’s portal time,” Darik put his hands on the bulkhead and tried to spread them. “C’mon now, don’t be difficult.”
“What’s happening?”
“Is it shielded too? I haven’t heard of a material that’s portal-proof.”
“It’s resisting… like it’s super thick. It would have to be over twenty feet deep and that doesn’t… seem… feasible,” Darik strained through grit teeth. He tried harder, and finally he let his hands drop with a grunt. “Gimme a minute and I’ll try again.”
“Um, guys, do you see that?” Harmony asked, pointing to the far end of the corridor. Lights winked out at the opposite end of the tunnel, speeding up as they approached the Crew.
“What did you do, Keeper?” Grimdark asked.
“Hey, it wasn’t me. I swear. Well, maybe it was. I need a little more time though before I try again.” He wearily got to his feet and put his hands in the small of his back. “I’m getting too old for this,” he groaned, punctuated with a series of pops.
“I can’t see anything happening besides the light going out. Does anyone else detect anything?” Aurora asked, squinting her eyes.
“Nothing here.”
“Me neither.”
“Get read—”
Before Darik could get the words out, the floor became electrified. Everyone crumpled to the floor as muscles short-circuited. The soothing light winked out a second later, leaving only the occasional *snap* as energy arced. There was a hum, followed by a series of *thitt* noises, as tiny darts shot into the group, some rattling on the floor as they sprayed down. There were small flashes all around, as the darts hit their targets and rolled off.
Grimdark managed to push himself to his hands and knees, and more of the darts flared across his back as he made himself a target. A guttural growl escaped his throat as he activated his Drain ab
ility and pulled the energy into himself. The pops diminished rapidly as Grimdark’s eyes began to light up from within. The growl turned into a roar as his last bit of MP was finally evaporated away.
At some point, darts had begun to stick and accumulate along his back. Energy dripped out his back around the darts like blood. Some even dislodged and fell, pushed from the inside out. It was only a small fraction though, and Grimdark’s eyes began to dim. He collapsed hard, hitting his chin as his arms and legs slid away from him.
“Someone deal with those blowguns!”
Anastasia waved a hand and darts rose like little spaceship fighters awaiting her command. She flung them into the barrel of the blowguns and they crammed in like ants, fighting to force their way back inside their home. She bared her teeth and there was a grinding noise followed by a loud *crack*. A hissing followed and the darts stopped coming. Anastasia dropped to the floor like a discarded marionette.
“How is everyone?” Yuki asked.
“These little bad-boys did the job, Aurora. I didn’t get hit by a single dart.” Darik saluted her. “Why has no one outfitted us with personal portable shields before? That could have been bad.”
“It is bad,” BoJack said as he began pulling darts out of Grimdark’s back. “His shield gave out and he’s got a massive dose of tranquilizers in his system. Everyone help me. Pull those by the flights and don’t touch the tips.”
“Flights?”
“The wings of the dart. Have you never been to a pub?” BoJack ripped the tattered shreds of Grimdark’s suit off his back to expose the area. The skin was already puckering and swelling and resembled acne from hell. He put his hands on a small section of Grimdark’s back clear of darts while the others frantically pinched and extracted the rest. A milky-yellow fluid began to slowly bead up on his skin.
“Hurry, his heart’s stopping! Get those darts out of there!” BoJack screamed as the beads grew then began to pool together and drip down his side. BoJack moved his hands to another section, leaving pristine handprints as he touched another bumpy swollen area.
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