“I’m going to replace the next guard that goes on. The building AI will check my badge against the list before letting me in and this program has already added me to the access list. I’m counting on the guards not all knowing each other, or at least that they’ll accept a newbie as long as he gets by the AI.”
He turned to Hargety. “Billy, I’m assuming O’Toole sent you here to help. Your job will be to turn off the building power when I get to the cell block. I’ll have to work fast to be sure the remote security team doesn’t detect the power failure and send help before I get my crew out.
“The building runs off the city grid, and since city power is so reliable, there’s no backup generator.” Colt switched the display from blueprint to map mode, showing the city immediately around the warehouse. “The main transmission lines run under Syracuse Street. There’s a manhole here that gives access to the transmission tunnel.” He touched a spot on the map about a block from where they were. It immediately expanded to a close up view.
“What good will that do?” Hargety asked.
Colt handed Hargety the pistol. “Have you ever played with a squirt gun?”
Hargety examined the pistol. Colt continued, “This one is filled with a special acid. It’s pretty much harmless, but it will eat through a transmission line in less than a minute. All you have to do is hold the trigger down and wet the cable thoroughly in one place. Then get out of there.”
Colt switched the display back to floor plan and turned to Margaret. “One of your jobs is to tell him when to start. You can track my movement on the floor plan, but I’ll try to call you when I’m ready. As soon as I get to the corridor outside the cells, here, if you haven’t heard from me, call Billy on this communicator.” He handed her one of the communicators and handed another to Hargety.
Colt paused, “I never like to go into a tight situation without a safety net. Do you have any vans?”
“I have several. How large?”
“Just enough for the fourteen of us,” Colt answered. “Can your vans fly themselves without humans aboard?”
“None of my vans have onboard AIs, but Maxwell has flight programming.”
Colt considered the significance of that for a split second, then said, “Okay, bring him out of hibernation please.”
Margaret recited a string of letters and digits. Maxwell immediately appeared in the display. “Mister August has a mission for you, Maxwell.”
Colt told Maxwell to be prepared for takeoff with only a moment’s notice in case the plan went sour. “You’ll fly as fast as your programming will allow and set down in the central quad of the warehouse complex.” He concluded with, “There should be fourteen of us. As soon as we’re aboard, you’re to lift off and head due north at top legal speed. Anticipate being fired upon.”
“Shall I employ countermeasures, ma’am?” Maxwell asked.
“Only as necessary to make certain neither you nor any of your passengers is compromised,” Margaret responded.
“Very well.”
Margaret looked up from the floor plan. “So, assuming nothing goes wrong, you plan to just walk out of there?”
“That’s the plan. The fire codes for Dixon require all internal doors to fail safe to unlocked in case of emergency. We should be out the back door before the power goes back on.”
He looked back at Hargety. “Billy, I assume you can find the manhole into the transmission tunnel.”
“No problem.”
Colt picked up the last communicator. He returned the film to full map view, touched a command, and it immediately showed a bright red dot in Margaret’s office. “Do you have any questions, Margaret?”
She toggled the display back and forth between map and plan mode. “Piece of cake,” she answered.
“Okay, Billy. Let’s move. We have just over seventeen minutes before the next guard is due to check in.”
Before Colt and Hargety separated at the next corner, they both called Margaret to test their communicators. Then Colt headed up the street toward the warehouse. As he turned the corner the replacement guard was walking up to the entrance of the warehouse. Was he too late?
Chapter 31
“Hey!” Colt shouted. “At last, another human being!” He broke into a trot toward the other man. The guard stopped and stared at him. “Can you help me?” Colt called breathlessly as he ran up.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” the guard said, perplexed. “What do you need?”
“I have spent the last two hours trying to find Transcon Shipping. I’m about ready to give up and go back to the hotel. Can you tell me where it is?”
The guard laughed and looked up at the unlighted sign above the front entry door to the warehouse. Colt followed his glance, noting the name on the sign and no visible sensors on the front of the building. “You’re standing in front of it,” the guard said. “The place is closed for renovation. There’s nobody here except us guards.”
Colt struck without warning. A blow to the back of the guard’s head knocked him unconscious with barely a sound. Colt caught him as he collapsed. He threw the guard over his shoulder and carried him across the street into an alley where he carefully laid him down behind a dumpster. Colt quickly bound and gagged the man. Then he checked the time and hurried back to the entrance.
The entry scanner was on the right side of the door. It recognized his badge, and the door lock clicked open. Colt stepped inside. As soon as the door closed interior lights came on providing just enough light to find his way. A voice said, “I don’t recognize you.”
“I’m new today. This is my first shift. I’m William Colt.”
There was a brief pause. “Ah, found you. Welcome aboard.”
“How do I get to the command center?”
“Straight ahead to the first cross corridor. Then hang a right. First door on the left.”
There were two guards in the command center. The voice belonged to Garry Marks, a hulking man with bone crushing handshake and a ready smile. The other was a thin, red haired, sour looking man who introduced himself as Woody.
After the brief introduction Marks said, “Well, Bill, since you’re here, I can leave. You girls have fun.”
As soon as Marks left, Woody said, “You’ll need to get used to the layout, so you can take the first patrol.” He pulled up a floor plan on the main monitor. “This is where we are.” He traced a route with his index finger, leaving a glowing yellow trail on the display. “The stairs are right around the corner. The prisoners are here.” He jabbed at two rooms almost directly beneath them. “All you need to do is run a headcount and check all the doors in this section of the corridor.” He pulled a communicator off its mount on the wall and handed it to Colt.
“Do I need a weapon?”
“The prisoners are locked up and disarmed. There’s no way for anyone to get in without being detected. No weapons needed.”
“Okay.” Colt turned and walked out of the room.
As soon as he had gone down the stairs, he keyed the connection to Margaret. “I’m in and ready.”
He heard Margaret speak to Hargety. As he waited for the lights to go out, he walked down the corridor checking doors so he wouldn’t look suspicious. It quickly became apparent that something wasn’t working as planned. Then he heard Hargety’s garbled voice come through Margaret’s communicator.
“There’s a glitch,” Margaret announced. “The power cables are covered with some kind of insulation that isn’t being melted by the acid.”
“Tell Billy to get out of there. Now!” Colt ordered. “And alert Maxwell. I’ll need him in fifteen minutes over the quad.”
When he returned to the cell doors, he hesitated briefly in front of them for a moment, aware that the crew would recognize him and might react, giving him away. To cover for the pause he keyed the communicator, “Anyone near the door?”
“Negative,” Woody responded
Colt unlocked the door and stepped inside for the headcount. Each of the men showed varying
degrees of shock but said nothing. Because the video camera was at their backs, Woody was unable to see the surprised expressions. Colt silently breathed a sigh of relief. He repeated the process with the women’s cell. Again, the prisoners showed astonishment but held their tongues.
He calmly finished the patrol. “All clear down here,” he reported to Woody looking at his watch. “The time is 8:07 PM.”
“Roger. See you in the command center.”
Colt already figured that he was in a trap, and something in Woody’s voice confirmed that. Colt started for the stairs and stopped suddenly. He keyed the communicator and said in a near whisper, “Hey, I saw some movement at the end of the corridor. Do you have anything on your sensors?”
“No, there’s nothing on the sensors. There can’t be anyone in the halls. Get on up here.”
“Strange. I’m sure I saw something. I’m going to check it out.”
“I said, ‘Get up here.’”
“You know better than that. Sensors sometimes act up. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t check it out.” Colt said. He started down the hall at a soft trot. Just before the cross passage at the end of the hall, he stopped and carefully checked both ways. Then he turned to his right and entered the stairwell.
“Now what are you doing?” Woody asked annoyed.
“This door clicked as I came up. I think someone just entered this stairwell.”
“I didn’t see anything on the monitors, in the hall or in the stairwell.”
“Just the same, I’m going to check.”
Again he looked around as if for possible intruders. He hurried down the stairs and warily opened the door.
The layout on sub-basement level was essentially the same as on the upper floors except the air ducts and plumbing were exposed. Wiring ran through large diameter conduits that Colt traced to a massive circuit breaker panel. Still watching for a possible intruder, he trotted toward the panel. Just as he reached it, he pretended to stumble, banging into the panel. Surreptitiously he brushed his left hand along the bottom of the panel, depositing the glob of explosive and a remote detonator. Holding his arm as if he’d injured it, he trotted toward the next stairwell. Just as he reached it, the door opened and two men stepped out, pointing blasters at him.
“Upstairs,” one of them he recognized as Marks ordered. “We know who you are, Commander Colt. Let’s not play games.” Colt didn’t bother to raise his hands as he led the way up the stairs.
In the command center, Woody asked, “Did you really think you could get away with this costume party?”
“Did you really think I would be this easy to catch if I hadn’t let you?”
Woody looked uncomfortable. “Your game is over, not mine.” Colt glanced at his watch. “We have a couple of minutes, why don’t you tell me what you had in mind to do with me.”
“You’re bluffing.”
Colt smiled. “I really would like to know before I leave.”
“All right, wise guy. If Brigadier Dixon had his way, we’d throw you in with the other prisoners until this little conflict is over.”
“That’s consistent, but why bother?”
“We don’t want you guys fighting for the loyalists.”
“The movement is falling apart, is it?”
Woody frowned. “You won’t have to worry about it. We have orders to ship you to headquarters in First Landing. A flyer’s on its way now to pick you up.”
Colt again glanced at his watch. “Would you look at the time? It’s been entertaining, boys, but I’ve got a ride to catch.” He tapped his pocket, and an explosion rocked the building plunging them into pitch darkness.
Marks immediately grabbed for him just snagging his shirt sleeve. Colt swung around, hitting Marks in the neck with his other forearm. He followed through by slamming into the other guard as Marks collided with the door. He whipped his freed forearm back, trying to connect with Woody. The blow hit a pistol, sending it flying. As it left Woody’s hand, the pistol fired. The bolt blew a hole in the wall and left a glowing perimeter. In the wan glow he immediately dove for Woody, ramming into his midsection. For a moment they rolled around on the floor. Woody savagely fought back. Then Colt managed to get behind him and put him in a choke hold. After a short struggle Woody went limp. Colt checked to make sure he had a pulse and stood up.
He felt his way to the door, stepping over the guard he hadn’t met and moving Marks’ limp form out of the way. The streetlight shining through the front door of the building faded into murky shadows by the time it reached the hallway outside the command center, but it fluctuated enough that Colt realized that someone was coming up the steps. He turned and raced down the hall to the other stairwell. Descending the stairs in complete darkness he nearly missed the landing. Hanging on to the railing with all his strength, he managed to regain his balance.
He yanked open the stairwell door at the next floor and ran down the hallway counting doors as he skimmed his hand against the wall in darkness. Just before he reached the men’s cell, he fell over a body.
A familiar voice yelped.
“Sergeant Jiracek?” Colt asked.
“Commander Colt?”
As they both stood up, Colt said, “Is everyone out here in the hall?”
There was a jumble of answers, which Colt took for a yes.
“Everybody, follow my voice. We’re getting out of here.” He pushed his way through the group. To make sure everyone stayed with him, he began talking nonstop, “There’re loading doors at the end of the next corridor. If we can get there before the rebels know what we’re doing, there should be a van waiting to pick us up. We’re turning right. The door is fifteen meters ahead.” He continued talking until he reached the door.
With no power, the loading door rolled up using a noisy and slow manual chain. As soon as the door had enough clearance under it, Colt and Orsini slid out and scanned the quad in the faint light of Selene passing through the planetary penumbra. Almost immediately they heard a rush of air overhead and rolled under cover. Looking up, Colt spotted Margaret’s van against the stars. He pulled out the communicator and punched the speed button for the van. Maxwell answered immediately. “Are you ready, sir?”
“Land near the west edge of the quad. We’re coming out now.”
As soon as the last of the crew made it under the door, Colt released the chain, and the door rolled rapidly shut. He dashed to the van and clambered in right behind the last crewman. He turned and slid the door closed. “Maxwell, take us out of here, low and fast.”
Once they were clear of the warehouse and were certain no one was shooting at them, Colt took a deep breath. “Is everyone okay?”
The crew members murmured that they were all right.
Petty Officer Juneuil had taken the driver’s seat, watching in fascination as Maxwell piloted the van, staying at roof top level as they headed out of town. Colt slid into the right seat and began scanning the airspace in front of them. They were passing over the residential district when the master caution light flashed on, and the van dove toward the ground. Juneuil immediately grabbed the flight stick, pulling the nose of the craft up and applying upward thrust. She managed to stop the descent just as the van crashed through the top of a tree. When they were climbing again, she tapped the master caution light to turn it off. The computer link warning stayed on. “It looks as though the AI link was severed.”
When they reached the edge of the town, Colt pointed at a clearing visible in the low light head up display. “Land us there so you and Orsini can switch places. We have to be ready to evade.”
Juneuil turned her attention to the clearing. As they neared the ground, she switched on the landing lights. Not visible in the head up display, a guide line strung across the middle of the clearing whipped by just underneath them. “Hemlock! That was close!”
The van settled into rows of freshly plowed earth and came to rest.
###
Juneuil got out of the driver’s seat, and Or
sini slid into it. “Great job, Chief,” he said. Colt brought up the map display. He pointed to a valley that snaked off to the west of them. “Let’s go up this valley, and stay below the radar.”
Orsini lifted the van clear of the trees and rapidly accelerated to the low altitude speed limit. Colt looked toward the back of the van and spotted Chapman. “Harry, can you disable the transponder on this thing?”
“Let me look,” Chapman replied. He shooed the rest of the crew away from the middle of the van and checked the floor. “There’s the access panel.” Kneeling, he pulled the release handle and opened the panel.
He stared for a moment before he noticed wires that were obscured by the sealed primary unit and ran under the control lines. He got up, dropped the cover back in place, and walked to the front of the van. With his fingertips he felt beneath the lip of the dashboard, found a hidden switch and clicked it on. Immediately the master caution light came on, and the “Transponder Out” light glowed red. Orsini punched off the master caution.
Colt muttered, “That fits with the lack of an onboard AI. Clearly, Margaret does some things she doesn’t want anyone else to know about.” He smiled, “Of course, she does work for Fitz.”
In a few minutes they were well up the valley, away from human intrusion. Watching the map display, Colt said, “Tony, slow us down to a crawl. Then see if you can find a small clearing we can get into.”
Orsini pointed to the head up display as the van came to a virtual stop. “How’s that one look?”
“Great! Take us into it but don’t land.”
In a few seconds they hovered a meter above the clearing, well beneath the tree tops. Orsini rotated the van slowly counterclockwise. “There,” Colt said. “Take us into that opening under the trees and back us in.”
As soon as they were on the ground, Colt clapped Orsini on the shoulder. “Now shut everything down; and I mean everything.”
“We’d better open the windows first,” Orsini noted. “I suspect this van is space-worthy. I wouldn’t want to suffocate.”
“So, Commander, what next?” Chapman asked.
Peacemaker: The Corona Rebellion 2564 AD Page 26