The sprinkler system must have been tied into the sector’s sensors, because the instant motion was detected, they came online. Based on the intruders’ shouts, the water was also super-chilled.
Jack brought up the sensor data streaming from the warehouse. {Take a look at that temperature.}
It was well below the freezing point.
{Clever,} said Micah. {I’d be willing to bet those guns are now flash-frozen to the floor.}
{If they aren’t now, they will be soon,} the intel officer agreed.
The sprinklers shut off, and a sticky, red foam descended. Micah knew from experience that the nano-laced fire suppressant would cling persistently to every surface it landed on, human and weapon alike.
{See what I mean? We can’t underestimate this kid—} Jack cut off abruptly, a look of consternation on his face. It quickly morphed into anger as he let out a low curse. {Fool girl’s determined to get herself killed!}
He broke into a sprint, and Micah followed.
{Now what?}
{Just got a blip on her. She’s at the dock.}
Micah’s brows climbed into his hairline. {She’s got to suspect by now that they’re onto her. You think she’s still going to try something?}
Jack’s silhouette twitched, and Micah knew if they weren’t stealthed, he’d have been treated to an incredulous glance.
{She just took out two roving patrols. What the hell do you think? The dock’s the only other place, outside the control center, where these goons are stationed.}
His tone turned speculative. {I’m sure she already has a plan. We just need to reach her before she implements it, or be there to support her when things go sideways.} He slowed as they approached the dock, moving to one side of the tunnel as he crept slowly forward.
They still had another ten meters to go when things erupted.
* * *
{Katie Hyer.}
The voice that sounded over the platform’s public net was the same one that had taken Jeremy’s place on the STC channel.
The fact it was calling her by name brought Katie to a stop, one hand resting on the back of the man she’d just secured with her last remaining shock-lock.
{Katie Hyer,} the voice repeated. {We know you’re out there, and we know what you’re doing. We have your dog and your foster father. Turn yourself in now, or they both die.}
FIFTEEN
Sierra Twelve
Maintenance tunnels
{Well, shit.} Jack’s voice sounded disgusted. {So much for the subtle approach.}
In the next instant, he reappeared beside Micah, his drakeskin’s stealth disabled. He motioned Micah forward.
“She had to have heard that. It was piped throughout the platform,” Micah said.
Jack nodded and then jerked his chin down the tunnel passage. “Dock’s another fifteen meters, just around that curve. We’ll need to be careful,” he warned in a low tone. “She’s armed, and now she’s spooked.”
“How do you want to handle this?” asked Micah.
“We split apart and hope to hell she has that weapon she stole figured out by now.”
When the dock entrance came into view, the two men slowed, brows furrowing in confusion at the sight that greeted them. The deck just past the dock’s entrance seemed to be littered with something….
“Are those…?” Jack broke off with a quick glance over at Micah.
“Looks like ball bearings, slathered with a bunch of axle grease,” he replied after a moment of study.
Jack groaned. “Of course it is. Damn. Remind me to recruit her ass—just after I kick it for placing herself in this kind of danger.”
But the expression on the intelligence officer’s face told Micah the woman had impressed him.
Jack lifted a fisted hand when they heard a female voice call out from behind a closed door up ahead. He motioned Micah to one side of the door while he stationed himself on the other.
* * *
The control room was a mix of angry secessionists and dismayed Cobalt employees, all frozen in place, anticipating Katie Hyer’s response.
Lane had assigned targets, but was holding for Mike’s report that Medical was under control before giving the team the weapons-free signal.
Thad waited, rifle painted on his first target. There were eight now, two for each team member. Ell would take out the leader and the one they’d tagged as the most nervous of the bunch. Her third target was Thad’s second one, and damn if he wasn’t hoping to get there before she did.
He doubted he would; Ell was damn good, the best sniper the Alliance’s special forces had.
His target centered firmly in his reticle, Thad accessed the sensor feed Jack had hacked, and found the one for Medical. Pinning it to the team’s combat net, he brought it to Lane’s attention.
They watched the two SS operatives pass through the entrance and close in on the doctor, weapons raised. The flight surgeon lifted his hands and stepped backward slowly, his words calm, as if he was trying to defuse the situation.
Good luck with that one, Doc.
Mike’s voice sounded over the combat net. {Door to Medical is sealed. I’m right outside.}
{Why didn't you follow them in?} Ell’s tone implied the words ‘you idiot,’ but she didn’t voice them.
{I may be invisible, hotshot, but drakeskin doesn’t mask scent,} Mike retorted. {You see the sniffer on that dog? He’d know I was there, and he’d out me in a hot minute.}
{Tell me you have a plan,} Lane cut in.
The demolitions expert sounded offended. {Of course I do. You have any idea how many volatiles Medical has that I can use to blow shit up?}
{That’s your plan… To blow it up?} Asha deadpanned, her tone stopping just short of incredulity.
{No,} his words dripped with exaggerated patience. {I’m sending microdrones in to create a spark. Just enough of a spark to make a flash-bang level of distraction. A big boom to shake things up and rattle the enemy. Then I'll rush in and disarm them, see?}
{Better make it fast,} advised Thad. {Now that they have the doctor secured, these bastards are trying to flush out our girl. Jack and Micah aren't quite there yet, and we can’t have her turning herself in.}
* * *
The voice from the control center repeated the threat.
{We know you’re out there, Katie Hyer. We have your dog. We have the doctor. Come to the control room, now, or we start shooting.}
“I’m here,” a female voice called out.
Micah heard the words both audibly and over comms as it broadcast over the platform’s public net.
“Don't hurt them. I’ll…I’ll come turn myself in.”
The ancillary door that led to the mechanics bay flew open, and Micah snapped out a hand, hooking an arm around Katie’s waist as she barreled through.
She shrieked and tried to bring her weapon to bear, but Jack disarmed her with one swift move.
“Easy there,” said the Marine. “We’re on your side. Geminate Navy, Special Forces. See?”
Wild eyes connected first with Micah and then shifted over to Jack, who nodded reassuringly at her while tapping the holopips on his drakeskin collar.
“I’m Lieutenant Campbell, and the man holding you is Lieutenant Case.”
“You don’t understand, they have my foster dad, and my dog. They’ll kill them if I don’t—”
“Trust me, we’ll get them back for you. We already have an operative working to set them free.”
Lane’s voice broke in. {Noble Three, convince that girl to play along. We need to buy Noble Five enough time to secure the doctor before we can make our move.}
Over Katie’s head, Micah met Jack’s gaze, and nodded.
{Good copy, Noble One.}
* * *
Seconds later, Thad heard the voice of a young woman come back on over the public net.
“How do I know you won’t hurt them if I turn myself in?”
He cocked his head at Lane’s silhouette.
The team leader nodded. {Good job, Noble Three. Keep the conversation going, give Noble Five room to work.}
Thad could tell Katie’s reply had made an impact on those around him. From their expressions, he could see her words had pleased the secessionists, while at the same time deflated the hopes of the Cobalt employees held prisoner.
The SS leader ignored Katie’s question. “Come to the central hub with your hands out. No weapons. And don’t waste my time; if there’s any hint that you might not be doing what you’re told, the dog gets it first.”
Thad’s attention was drawn to movement on the feed from Medical. As he watched, a bright green speck floated down into the room through the air vent. The marker was generated by his HUD, its green color identifying the stealth microdrone as one of their own, under Mike’s control.
Thad watched it float over to a bank of switches and valves inserted into one of the walls next to a diagnostic bed. The green speck was joined by a second one. The two tiny machines hovered there silently for several minutes—doing what, Thad could not tell.
Or maybe not so silently, after all, he corrected as he saw the basset hound’s head swivel in that direction.
The pup began to wiggle and squirm in an effort to get free. The secessionist who held the dog cursed, and whacked it upside the head.
Thad saw the animal flinch, but it seemed fixated on the spot where the drones floated.
{Noble Five,} he warned, and Mike responded immediately.
{I see it. No worries, almost done.}
* * *
Back in the mechanics room just off the dock, Katie’s eyes had filled with tears, though Micah could tell that she was making a valiant effort to stave them off.
He squeezed her arm, and as she spared him a glance, her spine stiffened, and her chin went up.
“I’m okay,” she said.
Jack nodded. “You remember what we said? This is all to buy our man inside Medical the time he needs to disarm the people holding your foster dad—”
“And my dog,” she interrupted.
“—and your dog,” he amended, “hostage. All you have to do is pretend to play along. Go ahead and answer them.”
She nodded jerkily, and sucked in a lungful of air. Squaring her shoulders, she responded to the voice that had ordered her out into the hub.
“Concourse, okay. It’ll take me a minute to get there,” she said, her tone slightly wobbly, tears evident in her voice. “Please, don’t hurt them.”
“Good job, Katie. You’re doing great.” Jack’s voice was smooth, his tone pitched to convey reassurance.
He glanced over at Micah and then back to her.
“Now, here’s what’s going to happen. The suits Lieutenant Case and I are wearing will allow us to disappear from view. You won’t see us, but we’ll be right here with you every step of the way, Lieutenant Case on one side, me on the other.”
She nodded shakily, and Micah bent so that he could make eye contact with her. “Trust us. This is what we do. You going to be okay?”
He saw her lower lip tremble, but then she steadied herself.
“You’ve got this,” he said, giving her an encouraging smile and a light shoulder squeeze. “I’m going to keep my hand right here on your shoulder so you can feel that we’re still here with you, but we’re going to disappear now, okay?”
She nodded once more.
Jack inclined his head, and then activated his suit. Micah felt Katie jolt as they faded from view, but to her credit, the young woman remained strong.
As one, they stepped out into the concourse and started toward the central hub of the control room.
By Micah’s estimation, they’d gone nearly two klicks when he heard a low rumbling noise and felt the deck shiver beneath his feet.
* * *
Those damn green specks were still hovering in place, but at least the dog had subsided. Thad was about to ask Mike for another sitrep when something flickered over the feed.
He could have sworn he saw a tiny spark—and in the next instant, the sensor feed flashed white. A shiver ran through the platform; he felt it through the soles of his feet. It was accompanied by a rumble so low, it was barely audible.
“What was that?” the leader of the secessionists demanded, spinning to face one of his men. He motioned toward the door. “Get out there and see what’s going on. Obert, Gardner, report!”
{Ain’t going to get anything out of those folks,} Mike’s amused voice came over the combat net. {Subjects neutralized, hostages freed.}
With Mike’s words, Lane exploded into action. {Campbell, get that girl some cover. Noble team: engage!}
SIXTEEN
Sierra Twelve
Maintenance tunnels
It all happened so quickly, Katie could hardly process it. They were walking toward the control center when she heard a deep, rumbling noise. The floor shuddered beneath her feet, and the next thing she knew, she was being shoved down by an invisible force.
A weight landed on top of her, and she heard a voice shout, “I’ve got her. Go!”
She recognized the voice as belonging to Lieutenant Case, so the footsteps pounding through the concourse’s floor must be the other man’s. Katie felt their vibrations through the palms of her hands.
The sound faded unnaturally, though she could still feel the steady thudding beneath her fingertips. She realized with a detached fascination that they must have the ability to suppress sound somehow.
She looked around, her senses on high alert, but the concourse itself remained eerily calm and empty.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, fear for Doc and Fred enveloping her as she felt invisible hands urge her toward the relative protection of a nearby column.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” Case assured her as he pushed her down into a crouch and then covered her body with his own. “Our man in Medical has the last two secessionists in custody. That’s what our team in the control center was waiting for. They’re engaging now. This’ll all be over in—”
He froze, and Katie sucked in a breath, afraid of what his pause might mean.
The next moment, he relaxed, and with a soft chuckle, he lifted his weight off her. “Well, right about now,” he finished.
The air in front of her rippled, and the lieutenant came into view.
He reached out and asked, “Need a hand?”
Katie blinked and sat up, disoriented. “That’s… it?”
Lieutenant Case nodded, smiling faintly. “That’s it.”
She remained sitting a moment and studied him. The man was tall and dark-haired with piercing blue eyes, and he stood, waiting patiently, hand extended, as if he knew she needed a bit of time to process.
She finally grasped his hand, and he pulled her effortlessly to her feet.
With a small lift of his chin in the direction of the concourse, he said, “Come on. I’ll escort you to Medical. You can see for yourself; the doctor—and your dog—are just fine.”
* * *
The next few hours passed in a flurry of activity, and Katie found herself in the center of it all.
First came the dressing-down she knew would come from Doc Slater. The man was angrier than she’d ever seen him. He tore into her with a furious intensity as she sat on the edge of one of the diagnostic beds, Fred cuddled in her lap.
As he paced, he jabbed at her with a finger, his eyes a steely, cold gray. “That was a fool stunt you pulled! What in star’s name made you think you were capable of taking on that many people—armed people, might I remind you—all on your own? I taught you better than this!”
This wasn’t her foster dad speaking, this was Major Slater of the Geminate Alliance Navy, come out of retirement. She could practically see him reaming out any malefactors under his command.
Shame shafted through her, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. Instead, she focused intently on the puppy she held in her arms, her free hand playing with one long, floppy ear.
&nbs
p; And then she realized: this was all because he cared. His anger was a release valve; it masked the fear he’d felt for her.
Her hand stilled, and she chanced a look up at him.
His voice calmed as he came to a stop in front of her and gripped her by the shoulders. Katie let Fred down onto the diagnostic bed as Doc turned her to face him.
“Katie-girl,” he said softly as he gave her a gentle shake. “You’re not invincible, for star’s sake. You could have been killed. You were in a firefight. You took a life.”
Katie flinched. “Are you… mad about that?” Her words were tinged with uncertainty.
He had to be. He was a doctor, committed to saving lives, not taking them. She averted her eyes, unable to face the condemnation she would surely see in his.
Air exploded from Doc’s lungs in a great gust. “Hell no, sweetheart… except for the fact that you have to live with it now. That’s not an easy burden to bear. It’ll take you some time to come to grips with it. I know it did for me.”
He gathered her in his arms, his hand tucking her head against his shoulder as he had when she was younger. His voice was muffled, his face buried against the top of her head. “If it comes down to you or them, I’ll always choose your life over theirs. But just so we’re clear, no more scaring me like this, you understand?”
A footfall sounded from behind them, and a throat cleared.
“Katie Hyer?”
Slater released her, stepping back as Katie turned to face the unfamiliar voice.
A woman stood dressed in the same drakeskin suit the two other soldiers had worn. She was whipcord lean, with dark eyes and hair cut military-short, and she exuded an aura of authority.
“Miss Hyer,” the woman repeated, and it was no longer a question.
She nodded anyway.
“I’m Captain Lane Reid. If you have a moment, I need to debrief you.” She gestured to the hallway outside Medical, her gaze flicking briefly over to Slater’s and then back again. “The doctor can join you if you wish. Your call.”
Operation Cobalt – A Military Science Fiction Thriller: The Biogenesis War Files Page 9