The Girls from Alcyone 2: The Machines of Bellatrix

by Cary Caffrey

  Two sleep-ease capsules popped under each of their noses took care of them. The security men would have a restful nap. They would wake later to remember nothing.

  Sigrid moved toward the waiting security terminal.

  "All right. I'm in, Trudy. I'm set."

  "Car's moving—they're headed for the gate."

  Sigrid checked her chronometer. Trudy's feed from the tracer satellite confirmed the stolen limousine joining the queue of incoming traffic. It should take them a good two minutes to arrive at the gate—plenty of time to upload their falsified authorization.

  "Oiy! What do you think you're doing there!"

  Sigrid spun around. Three security guards stood in the doorway. One of them held two cups of coffee; another had a tray of sandwiches in her hand.

  The man holding the coffee appeared unsure what to do with the two steaming cups. He looked frantically about, as if for a place to deposit the beverages. The woman with the sandwiches reacted first. She dropped the tray and reached for her sidearm. Sigrid already had hers. She switched the actuator to silenced mode and fired off two stun rounds, hitting both guards squarely in the chest. They vibrated in a satisfying fashion before slumping to the floor. But the third guard had already bolted for the hallway.

  Sigrid ran for the door, skidding around the corner just in time to see the guard reaching for the security panel at the end of the hall. Two more stun rounds from the recoilless dropped him, his outstretched hand just centimeters from the alarm.

  Time was of the essence, but she couldn't risk leaving the body in the hall. Lifting his limp form onto her shoulders, Sigrid ran back. A locker provided a suitable place to hide the body, and she crammed the slumbering form inside. Hurrying, she grabbed the other two unconscious guards by the ankles and pulled them from the hallway, locking the door behind her. The distraction had taken too long.

  Trudy's agitated voice confirmed it. "Sigrid!"

  "I know!"

  Sigrid ran to the security console. She worked quickly, bringing up the image of the gate monitor. Blast. She saw the black limousine already pulling up to the gate, and the heavily armed guard strolling toward them. Leta rolled down the window, leaning out, her face bright and smiling, her ample curves soft and inviting.

  Thank you, Leta.

  Mercifully, the duty officer had left himself logged in to the server. Sigrid typed furiously, inserting the data-packet Trudy had prepared, complete with their forged authorization.

  That's it. Done.

  Sigrid punched the return key. The progress bar crawled along. Too slow.

  The security monitor provided a perfect view of the gate guard as he leaned by the open window of the limousine, chatting with Leta. But angry horns sounded behind them as the trucks' drivers served to remind the guard of his duty. Sigrid waited, helpless, watching as Miranda handed him the forged pass. The scanner in his glove retrieved the data, sent the query to the terminal at her side, flashed its demand for immediate authorization. And there was nothing Sigrid could do.

  Sigrid pounded the terminal, urging—willing the sluggish servers to accept the data-packet! The amber alert blinked red.

  It wasn't going to work. There wasn't time.

  Sigrid unslung the long-barreled sniper rifle from the harness on her back and rushed to the window. The limousine was there, the guards below gathering around to see what was going on.

  Sigrid took aim, her finger grazing the trigger.

  But the gate opened. The guard waved the girls through.

  Sigrid collapsed against the wall.

  They were in.

  *

  Sigrid found them waiting at the designated spot. The stolen black limousine sat parked behind one of the darkened tenements. Its rear door opened as Sigrid approached.

  "Any trouble?" Suko asked as Sigrid took her seat beside her. Miranda tapped the glass, and Leta gunned the car forward.

  "No," Sigrid answered innocently. "None at all. Why?" She decided not to tell them how close they'd come to setting off all of the alarms in the complex, though she was certain Suko knew just the same.

  "Now, where on Earth did you find those?" Suko asked as Sigrid handed out the sandwiches, the ones dropped by the guards.

  "It's amazing what people will leave lying about," Sigrid said. "Looks like we have toasted bE-ef or cheese."

  "Cheese," Suko said, taking the offered sandwich. "I can't abide all that genetically modified nonsense. And meat grown in a vat is just wrong."

  "And where would you expect it to be grown?" Miranda asked. "On a stretch of actual land? From cattle fed by precious grain? Grain that could feed thousands—land that could house millions? Hardly practical—or admirable. You surprise me, Ms. Tansho."

  Suko glared at her over the sandwich. "On Alcyone we learned to eat what we grow. We're not hoarders, Special Agent. I know what it is to go hungry."

  Miranda sat back, crossing her arms. "Sorry. I didn't know. And I think we're past the whole special agent thing. Call me Miranda."

  Suko gave a careful chew of her sandwich. "Special agent will do just fine."

  "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sigrid said, eager to change the subject.

  "Ask away," Miranda answered back.

  "I'm curious. You're taking quite a risk, coming here on your own. Why? Why do you care so much what happens? If the Council can't be bothered to intervene, if your own superiors can't, why you?"

  Miranda smiled. "You mean, what's in it for me?"

  "And none of this duty-honor nonsense," Suko said around a mouthful. "I'm not sure I could take it."

  "Would that be so hard to believe?"

  "A little," Sigrid said. "I haven't seen much honor where the Council is concerned."

  "We're not all evil, Ms. Novak. Some of us actually care about what's going on around us. Isn't that why you're here? To do your duty, protect your friends? You're not the only one who's lost people, you know. I had friends at Scorpii. People I knew. They were good people, Ms. Novak. Their only wish was to serve. They wanted to make a difference."

  Suko looked up from her sandwich. "Even if that meant killing us."

  "I'm sure they didn't even know you were there—who you were, or what you are. They were told they were taking down a rebel force—Independents. They wouldn't have known anything about you."

  Suko opened her mouth, ready to argue further, but Sigrid intervened, leaning between them. "I'm sorry, Ms. Kane. I didn't know."

  "No, I don't suppose you would."

  "All right," Suko said. "So you want to stop them. But why on Earth Gillings?" She shuddered at the mention of the chairman's name. "Of all the people—"

  "He's not who you think. Trust me, I know. When this business with the Independents started, my department heads told me to drop the investigation. Randal Gillings was the only one willing to listen. I owe him a great deal."

  "Must be nice," Suko said, "having the ear of the chair of the Council. How did you arrange that?"

  "He…helped me once. My family. Long ago." Miranda shrugged. "He said he saw potential."

  Suko barked a laugh.

  "You still don't trust me, do you? Even though you know I'm telling you the truth—"

  "We believe you, Ms. Kane," Sigrid said. "But no, we don't trust you. Not yet. Perhaps once this is over with."

  "Perhaps," Miranda echoed.

  Leta drove on, taking them deeper into the enclave. Sigrid found it incredible that this entire place could be considered one factory. It was a city unto itself. She counted twenty-seven separate tenement structures on this street alone. Even at this late hour, the streets were crowded with trucks, some laden with materials, others packed with their cargo of exhausted workers being carted to and from the assembly areas.

  Sigrid checked her chronometer. The shift-change in security would occur in less than two hours. By then, her altercation in the security building would certainly be discovered. They had until that time to complete their mission and get out.


  Leta turned the corner onto a wide, four-lane street. The traffic was heavier here, mostly transport haulers and service vehicles. They were all moving in the same direction and toward the same destination. Sigrid saw it then, impossible to miss. The road led straight toward what was by far the tallest building in the complex. The Central Services Tower.

  Sigrid craned her neck, staring up. It was only with her optical module that she was able to see the topmost floors, lost in the shroud of smog and dust. The tower complex featured no windows, not even doors or any lights. It was a dark, imposing shape, dominating the landscape. The only way in or out was a wide portal spanning all four lanes of the road ahead. The road dipped down into blackness, and Sigrid could see nothing at all inside. Traffic slowed here as the trucks queued, waiting to be cleared by security before entering.

  Four APCs bracketed the road, their turrets manned and armed. Drones hovered overhead, their bright searchlights shining down, bathing each and every vehicle in blinding white light. Two full platoons of soldiers patrolled the entrance. They walked the long line of transports. Every truck was stopped, the contents of the containers opened and searched.

  And somewhere, hidden in the corridors within, waiting for her, was Harry Jones.

  Miranda ducked instinctively as yet another UAV glided by, not far overhead.

  "This isn't normal," she said. "I know these corporate types can be paranoid, but this level of security—this goes above and beyond."

  "It's us," Sigrid said. "They know we're coming. They're looking for us."

  As if on cue, Sigrid felt the ground shake, heard the heavy mechanical footfalls, then gasped as she saw the heavy mech. It stepped out from between two of the waiting cargo haulers. The mech was huge, a lumbering beast of a machine, a walking tank standing nearly five meters tall. Two missile pods sat mounted on its armored shoulders, a heavy chain gun cradled in its mechanical arms.

  The torso swiveled toward them. Sigrid saw the pilot seated behind the armored canopy.

  "Mechs," Suko said, a sour look on her face. "I hate those guys."

  "Independents," Sigrid said.

  Any doubt she had left as to the connection between the factory, Jones and the Independent forces was gone in an instant. No private security force wielded this kind of firepower.

  "None of this showed up in the scans," Suko said. "Why didn't the satellites pick any of this up?"

  Sigrid was wondering the same thing. "Trudy?" she called through the comlink. "Are you getting any of this? Are you picking this up?"

  There was a pause. "Nothing," Trudy answered back finally. "I'm seeing you, the transports, but nothing else. They must be sending back a false signal. Though how, I have no idea."

  Sigrid cursed silently. It was one thing to jam a signal; it was something entirely different to send back false images, and all in real time. The men here had gone to great lengths to hide their operations from prying eyes.

  Miranda's hand tightened on Sigrid's arm; the mech was only paces away from them. "I'm not sure our forged documentation will take us any further. And those soldiers do seem to be taking notice."

  Their stolen limousine was indeed conspicuous amongst the line of waiting transports. Several soldiers had turned their way, coming quickly toward them, the mech not far behind. "You may be right. Leta, we might want to find an alternate route…"

  "I'm on it."

  Leta pulled the limousine quickly out of the queue and turned back the way they'd come—a maneuver that didn't go unnoticed by the patrolling soldiers. Sigrid saw one of the men turn toward them and raise the scanner he held in his hand.

  She waited, listening, scanning, but no alarms sounded. At least, not yet.

  "I think it's time we ditch this car," Sigrid said. "It's only going to draw attention." She scanned the road ahead, spotted the darkened alley between the tenements, and pointed. "There! Leta, pull in there."

  Leta did so without question, pulling into the alley and driving until Sigrid told her to stop. She parked between a pair of hulking refuse containers. Sigrid was first out, quickly inspecting their surroundings. All was silent. There was no sign of pursuit, no alarms.

  "What now?" Miranda asked.

  "We'll have to walk from here," Sigrid said.

  "Walk?" Miranda asked skeptically. "You did see that checkpoint? I'm not sure if they're just going to let us walk in—"

  "Then we'll fight our way in," Suko said.

  Sigrid worried the nail of her thumb. There had to be a way in. But how…

  She felt the familiar low rumble—thrusters firing somewhere overhead. She scanned the skies, searching. High above, still hidden in the clouds, a ship was descending, coming down fast. Her enhanced optics picked up the ship, its thermal and electrical signatures flaring brilliantly in her HUD.

  It was a drop ship. Definitely military. A troop carrier. And it was coming down directly within the compound.

  "That ship," Suko said; Sigrid could tell she was scanning it as well. "Sigrid, it's CTF. That's a Council vessel."

  "A Council ship?" Leta asked. "Here?"

  But Sigrid shook her head, watching as the ship approached, coming in lower. The low rumble of its eight ventral thrusters grew to a roar, plumes of amber exhaust visible now overhead. "If that's a Council ship, they're coming in awfully casually. And I'm not picking up any defenses, no interceptors. Trudy—are you getting any of this?"

  "I see it. It's definitely headed your way. If it holds course, it should come down about two kilometers from your position. There's a clearing. Looks like they might be using it as a landing field."

  Sigrid turned to look at Miranda at her side. "I think we just found one of your stolen transponders."

  Miranda held a hand over her eyes, visorlike, scanning upwards. "If that's true, then we have to get to that ship. If we can get aboard—"

  Sigrid finished the thought. "We might be able to see what it is they're planning."

  "It might make things easier," Suko said, "if we actually knew what they're up to."

  "It's a risk," Leta said. "But it might be worth it."

  Sigrid considered their options, few though they were. Finally, she nodded. "All right. We'll go for it. But if I don't like what I see, I'm pulling the plug."

  Suko smiled. "Hey, I don't like any of this. But here we are."

  Leta moved first. She busied herself removing the too-small chauffeur's uniform and donning her combat gear. While Leta dressed, Suko unloaded their weapons from the boot of the stolen limo.

  "Don't you think it's time I had one of those?" Miranda said, eyeing one of the many sidearms in the weapons case. "I do know how to use one, you know."

  Sigrid closed the case. Instead, she thrust a pair of macrobinoculars into her hands. "This might prove more useful. Trust me, Agent Kane, if it gets to the point where we need you to fire a weapon, then we'll really be in trouble. Come on, follow me, and stay close."

  "One sec," Leta said. She was hunched over, rummaging around under the driver's seat, her backside poking out the driver-side door. She emerged from the car, her prize in hand. Sigrid recognized the black case, and the football-sized object held within.

  Sigrid put her hand to her forehead. "I thought we left that aboard the Morrigan."

  "You did. But I thought it might come in handy. You never know."

  "All right. But just…please tell me you'll be careful with it."

  "Of course!"

  Miranda turned to Suko at her side. "What's in the case?"

  Suko stood with her arms crossed, watching as Leta took care to mount the case to the harness on her back. "Oh, about point-nine-seven kilotons."

  Sigrid signaled them forward between the structures. Leta took point, moving quickly, clinging to the shadows, taking care to mark any security scanners she encountered.

  Trudy tracked their progress the entire time, warning them when any of the armored patrols came too close or blocked their progress. The stationary scanners were avoidable
with care, but the surveillance craft that thundered by overhead proved more of a problem. Thunderhawks and the lighter, swifter Starlings roared across the sky, their searchlights and scanners constantly sweeping the area. They made for slow progress, forcing the girls to hide and find what cover they could under awnings and in the darkened doorways that lined the streets.

  "They know we're here," Sigrid said. "They must. They'll have found the men in the security tower by now."

  "If they know," Suko said, "then they'll be all over us. It's only a matter of time."

  "We can't turn back!" Miranda said. "Not now."

  "Backwards or forwards—I'm not sure it matters," Sigrid said, ducking as yet another unmanned drone whizzed by. "They're just as likely to discover us in retreat."

  "Then I say forward," Leta said. "We still have a job to do."

  Sigrid smiled, gladdened by her resolve. "Forward it is."

  As slow and plodding as the pace was for them, it was impossible for Miranda to keep up. Suko was forced to hoist the agent on her back, piggybacking her along.

  "Are you certain this is absolutely necessary?" Miranda asked. "I'm perfectly capable of walking."

  "Perfectly capable of lagging behind, is more like it," Suko said.

  "I'm sorry," Sigrid apologized, "but we seem to be pressed for time, and, frankly, your legs are too slow."

  "No one's ever complained about my legs before."

  Sigrid chuckled, in spite of herself. She could see that the CTF agent wasn't happy with the arrangement, but to her credit she was making the best of it.

  They emerged from the cluster of tenement structures into an open field. Floodlights mounted on pillars lit the area with the bright light of day.

  Sigrid gasped, staring at the sight. For nearly a kilometer, the buildings here, the tenements, warehouses, assembly plants, everything had been demolished, bulldozed away. Refuse, rubble, and the twisted remains of supporting structures littered the entire area. Even now, work continued as yet another building was toppled to the ground.