Revengers

by Alex Kings

  The bodyguard leapt out of his alcove and sprinted down the corridor. Olivia leapt out of his way as he came into the room. The moment he saw her father, he ran over. “You found him like this?”

  “Y-yeah,” said Olivia, coming over to them.

  The bodyguard leant over her father to check his pulse. Olivia saw the stun prod on his belt. He was occupied. This was her only window. If she took any longer, he'd call other people in.

  She stepped forward to lightly take the stun prod.

  Then the bodyguard moved lightning fast, turning so fast she could barely react. But the stun prod was still in her hand.

  A mass of panic and confusion, she stumbled back, trying to turn the stun prod on. He swept it out of her hand and grabbed her wrist. The stun prod went skittering across the floor.

  “You!” he roared, pulling her forward. “You did this!” Then realisation dawned in his eyes. “No …” he muttered, going for his gun. But it slithered out of his hand as he picked it up. His grip weakened, and Olivia managed to pull herself away as he collapsed.

  She stood there panting for a few seconds. The stun prod – she must have been able to activate it in time. She took it, along with the bodyguard's gun and comms.

  Then she began the arduous process of getting her unconscious father to the shuttle. After some difficulty, she succeeding in getting him off the chair without hurting him, and then dragged him down the corridor, stopping every so often to catch her breath.

  In the shuttle, she sat him on the pilot's chair and lifted his hand to place it on the console.

  The console came alive.

  Grinning to herself, she closed the door, then took the shuttle into the air.

  *

  Behind the screech lay a few centuries of psychological research that ensured it was maximally unpleasant. Eloise could barely follow a consistent train of thought, even with torn-off bits of fabric from her trousers blocking her ears. But she kept her focus by reminding herself this was just the prelude to more actively painful things – whether that included neural stimulation or physical blades, she was in no mood to find out.

  But the sound had given her an idea. She ran her fingers over the dark grey polymer walls close to the sapphiroid door, feeling for how it flexed in resonance with the sound. Four feet up, about a foot from the door, she found the strongest point, where the wall buzzed against her fingers. It looked like it was moving a couple of millimetres.

  That's where it would be under the most stress.. And if they used the screech regularly, , it might be fatigued. Which meant, if she was very, very lucky, it might be breakable.

  She lined up, and kicked it as hard as she could.

  Nothing happened.

  She kicked again – and again. On the sixth blow, she thought she felt it give slightly. Putting all her weight behind it, she kicked again.

  The wall cracked.

  Another few blows opened the crack further. A small shard of polymer, as long as her little fingers and half as wide, came free, leaving a hole.

  By now, Wolff, who has been sitting with his hands clutched over his ears, had noticed, and came over to her.

  She grinned at him – there was no way they could talk – went to pick up the shard. He tapped her shoulder, and she looked up to see him tearing some of the lining out of his coat.

  This turned out to be a good idea. The polymer shard was quite sharp. She picked it up using the lining, and then wrapped the fabric around one end.

  Squatting down, she peered through the hole. It was hard to see, but she thought she could make out the door's locking mechanism. It was within reach.

  She jabbed at it with the shard. The first couple of times nothing happened, but then she felt something shift.

  The screech fell silent. Dr. Wolff tentatively pulled out one of his makeshift earplugs.

  “Hallelujah,” he said with a weak smile.

  “More than that,” said Eloise, taking her own out. “It might have stopped because the door isn't locked anymore.”

  They tried the door. There were no noticeable handles, so they put their palms flat against the sapphiroid surface to get some friction, and pushed it to the side. For a moment, it seemed like the door wasn't going to budge. Then it began to slide back.

  As soon as Eloise stepped through the resultant gap, a distant alarm sounded.

  “Keep behind me,” Eloise said as they passed through the room the guards had been in. She clutched the shard of polymer in her hand. The door was unlocked. Beyond it, a featureless corridor extended to the right.

  As she ran down it, a guard appeared at the top of the corridor. He lifted his weapon. Eloise broke into a sprint down the corridor. When his aim was level, she dropped to the ground, below his sights, and slid for a moment. By the time he had his aim straight again, she'd reached him. She stabbed him in the belly with the polymer shard, and wrenched the weapon out of his hands as he faltered.

  The weapon fired small Albascene stun prods as projectiles. She used it to shoot a second guard as he came through the door.

  “I think it's safe,” she called to Wolff, who was taking refuge in the room behind them. She rendered the first guard unconscious, relieved the second of his weapon, and gave it to Wolff with the advice, “Shoot only if you feel you have to. Try not to hit me.”

  Taking the guard's security information, they headed onwards.

  There was an anteroom at the end of the corridor, where Eloise managed to catch another guard by surprise, and beyond that, a broad window looking out onto the frozen red Martian desert.

  The window covered one wall, and the room extended to the right. There wouldn't be a dome outside, Eloise guessed. If you want a secure facility, it always helps if people can't walk out the door without suffocating.

  Weapon raised, she turned the corner. A few desks and computer terminals lay organised. And at the far end of the room: An airlock. If there was a shuttle, if she could get to it ...

  A stun projectile flew at her. She leapt to the side and fired back. Wolff followed her lead, with a less effective aim. The guard who had fired leapt back behind the computer terminal. Eloise leapt behind the cover of a desk as another guard fired.

  “Ms. LaBelle,” said Wolff, sitting heavily beside her, his hand on his arm. “I think I've been …” He slumped forward.

  “Damnit,” she hissed, leaning out to fire. If she could clear the room, she might be able to get him to a shuttle. Somehow.

  As she ducked into cover again, she noticed her gun felt slippery in her hands. The thought occurred to her – if someone was watching from a separate facility, as a last resort, they could just fill the entire prison with gas, knock out everyone, and then come in and put things right.

  Holding her breath, she stood up. The remaining guards weren't in any position to fire. She stumbled towards the airlock, steadying herself with the desks and computer terminals, hoping there was some clean air she could breath. She managed to reach it in time to see there was nothing outside. Then she collapsed.

  Chapter 18: Identified, Incapacitated, and Apprehended

  “This is how you evaded us after you left the Glaber Territories?” said Laodicean, looking around the Fire Strider's cargo bay.

  Rurthk stood beside him. “Yeah.”

  “Are the rest of the crew on the Outsider?”

  “Not quite.” Rurthk was still wary of telling Laodicean about his plans. “You'll see soon enough … How are you with engineering?”

  Laodicean's squidlike body turned, tentacles first, to face him. The six crystalline blue eyes held no expression, but Rurthk felt like it was a questioning look.

  “I take someone new on, I gotta know they can contribute,” he said. “I've got a space for an engineer. And a pilot, for that matter.”

  “I have some engineering knowledge,” said Laodicean. “And I am capable of piloting a ship.”

  Rurthk smiled faintly. “That's something I like about Tethyans. They live long enough to pick up
a few skills. You're in.”

  “Good. As I said, you may need to update your security. Move to another spaceport and change your transponder. I can do that for you.”

  Rurthk nodded. “You get on that. As soon as my crew are back, we can go.” He turned and headed for the cockpit.

  Laodicean glided after him. “What is your plan to destroy Vihan Yvredi?”

  “Well, uh …”

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “Not as such, no,” said Rurthk. He frowned and turned to Laodicean. “You're very eager.”

  “They are a dangerous criminal organisation. They have done a great deal of harm. They must face justice.” His tentacles flicked. “I may be working alone, but my principles remain the same.”

  Rurthk cocked his head. “Sure,” he said. “Get working on that transponder, would you?”

  *

  She was free!

  Olivia laughed to herself as she flew over the landscape. Even if she wasn't technically free yet, she savoured the sensation of being able to go where she wanted. She hurtled across the red deserts and the various domes of her father's estate.

  After a minute or so, she took control. She still needed a plan. She needed to get out of here before people started to realise what was wrong. The destination was already obvious: Robinson City. She could get lost in the crowd there, and hopefully get a liner out of the Solar System.

  She accelerated and, on a whim, called up the shuttle's comms. It was unlocked. For the first time in a month, she had unrestricted access! After thinking for a moment, she entered Rurthk's comms ID and recorded a brief message: “I'm out! I'm coming to find you!” If he was in-system, it might work.

  A couple of hundred miles further on, as she was nearing the edge of her father's estate, she got a call. It was from Rurthk. So he was nearby after all!

  “Hello, Captain!” she said brightly.

  Rurthk's ugly, ratlike face broke into that snarling sort of expression she'd come to recognise as a smile. “Olivia! There you are!”

  “Are you on Mars? I'll come and find you.”

  Rurthk's smile faded. “Where are Eloise and Dr. Wolff?” he asked.

  “I … don't know. Should I?”

  “I sent them to rescue you,” said Rurthk. He checked his console. “A few hours ago now.”

  “You were coming to save me?” Olivia felt a burst of love, which quickly gave way to worry.

  “Can you call them?” she asked.

  “Radio silence,” said Rurthk. “No chance.”

  “Right,” said Olivia. What if they'd come to the empty mansion? What if they thought something had happened to her?

  Then she remembered – in this shuttle, she had access to all the goings-on of her father's estate.

  “How did they get in?”

  “A shipment of museum pieces. The only one that day. It left at Hour 14.12.”

  Olivia checked the shuttle's console. She was familiar enough with the system, and she soon found the shipment.

  “I have it,” she told Rurthk, and read, “Intruders identified, incapacitated, and apprehended on landing. Transferred to Holding Facility 4.”

  “Your father has his own prisons?” said Rurthk.

  “You've seen what he's like,” Olivia said darkly. “Of course he does.”

  “We need to get them out.”

  “Already on it,” said Olivia. Having looked up the holding facility on the navcom, she turned towards it and accelerated sharply.

  “I knew there was a reason we couldn't do without you,” said Rurthk.

  Olivia smiled.

  Her father liked to keep track of everything that was going on in his domain. Every bit of news on the estate should be available. She checked up on Holding Facility 4. There had been an attempted escape less than an hour ago. Which had only been stopped when the entire facility had been flooded with anaesthetic gas remotely.

  That was interesting.

  She rooted through the computer and found this was a default plan for many parts of the estate. It was an easy way to maintain control when you had access to the life support systems. It came paired with a means to reawaken people individually

  She also found she could activate it from this shuttle.

  “I've got a plan,” she told Rurthk. “It might, uh, attract some attention.”

  “So get ready to pick you up and run like hell?” said Rurthk.

  She nodded.

  “Just like old times,” said Rurthk. “Good luck.”

  When he'd gone, she went through her father's messages, reading out phrases to herself. When she thought she had a good enough grasp of his style, she sent a message to the holding facility from his account:

  Coming to see the intruders. There in ten minutes. Have everything ready.

  She sent it, and soon after received an obsequious reply.

  Beside her, her father murmured something. Time was passing. Someone would have discovered their absence by now, surely. She tapped him with the stun prod.

  Holding Facility 4 was a grey box an empty red plain. Olivia slowed the shuttle. There was an airlock on one side, and beside it, a pair of shuttle berths. The system greeted her as she settled into one of the berths. Once she was in, she activated the remote pacification system, as it was called, and waited.

  There was a thump on the shuttle door. She leapt up, startled.

  It was a guard from the facility, staring at her, bewildered. As she watched, he stumbled back and collapsed.

  She scrubbed the gas from the facility's air system and, when it was safe, opened the shuttle door. A few guards were lying amid the desks and computer terminals. She carefully stepped over the one by the door and walked forward.

  Someone wearing a gas mask rose from behind the desk and fired a gun at her.

  Chapter 19: They're Coming After Us

  As soon as she saw the figure, Olivia yelped and leapt back. In doing so, she tripped over one of the prone guards and fell to the floor. A large, slow-moving projectile sailed above her head.

  A gun for stun projectiles sat near the unconscious guard. She grabbed it as she scrambled away into cover.

  She tried her best to put on an imperious tone: “What do you think you're doing? I'm here on behalf of Enoch Chase!” As she said it, she thought, There's no way this can work.

  “Sure you are,” said the guard.

  Nope, she thought. Oh well, worth a try.

  She fired from behind the desk, mainly to keep him back, then took out her tablet. She extended it quickly, until it was a thin plate a square metre across. Then, holding it like a shield, she stood up.

  A little known fact about stun prods: Their effects could transmit through touch. If one hit her tablet while she was holding it, it would knock her out. The guard almost certainly knew that. But, with any luck, he would think that she didn't know.

  Confident of an easy win, he stood up and fired a projectile at her. Just before it hit her, she threw the tablet forward, knocking the projectile away. At the same moment, she fired her own weapon.

  The guard was unprepared. The projectile hit him.

  Olivia dropped behind the desk as he fired once more before collapsing. She retrieved her tablet and contracted it.

  The facility wasn't large. A quick search turned up patches to wake up those afflicted, and a corridor filled with cells and interrogation rooms.

  Eloise and Dr. Wolff were unconscious in a cell behind by a sapphiroid barrier. On Olivia's side of the barrier, two guards lay slumped in the chairs. Olivia picked up a controller from the floor where one of them had dropped it, turned off something called aural disincentive, and opened the door. She tried the patches on Dr. Wolff and Eloise.

  They woke with a gasp. Sitting up, Eloise looked at the unconscious guards, then Olivia.

  She broke into a broad smile. “We've come to rescue you!” she said with a laugh, leaping up. Before Olivia could respond, Eloise pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”

  �
��Very well done, my girl,” said Dr. Wolff, looking around. Olivia hugged him too.

  “You've changed your hair,” Eloise noted.

  “Yeah,” said Olivia. “Father insisted.”

  “Well, when we get back to the Outsider, I'll help you do whatever you want with it,” said Eloise. “Now, let's get going.”

  A quick search turned up the lockers where Eloise's and Wolff's things were being held. Olivia opened it with a stolen keycard. Then they armed themselves with the guards' weapons, and headed out.

  Back in the shuttle, Olivia settled back behind the console.

  “You didn't say we had company,” said Eloise, looking at her father. “And such an illustrious personage, too.”

  Wolff frowned. “Is that … gravy on his face?”

  Olivia paused for a moment, then nodded. “We were eating dinner,” she explained. Eloise giggled.

  The shuttle took off, and Olivia called Rurthk.

  “I have them,” she said.

  Eloise leaned in so Rurthk could see her and waved. “Hi, Rur!”

  “I'm taking the quickest way out. I'll leave the compound at …” Olivia checked the navcom and gave the co-ordinates. “Should take about fifteen minutes.”

  “We'll meet you there,” said Rurthk. “Do you expect –”

  The channel went dead.

  “What happened?” Eloise asked.

  “I don't know …” said Olivia, gesturing at the console. Something was blocking their signal. “Oh,” she said.

  “What?”

  “They've figured out where I am. They're coming after us.”

  Chapter 20: Shoot Us Down, Then

  “Can you pilot this for me?” Olivia asked.

  Eloise nodded.

  With Wolff's help, they moved her father off the seat, Olivia moved over to it, and Eloise sat in the pilot's seat. “So we've been found out,” she said. “How are they going to stop us?”

  Olivia checked the systems. “They've killed communications. They might activate the defences at the border and bring us down safely with effector fields. They might try and override the navigational systems.” She gestured at the console as fast as she could. At times like these, she missed Mero's speed. But she had another advantage: This was her father's shuttle. In principle, from here she should have final control over most automated aspects of the estate.