“Daniel,” Smithson said while walking past me, “you take the rear. Trent, you stay between us. I’ll take point.”
Smithson marched into the dark hallway and while Trent followed, I held back and switched my bionic eye to night vision mode. A scanner line highlighted all the corners and textures of the room. The hallway led into an open, circular room with a round steel desk at the center. Target reticles in my vision highlighted dozens of splotches and scorch marks on the floor and walls.
“Blood ahead,” I whispered. Smithson froze and turned back to me. I pointed at my eye to indicate how I knew. He nodded and continued down the corridor.
Seconds later, I heard numerous footsteps closing in around us. My gut told me they weren’t friendly.
Twenty One
A discharge of hot, blue rifle fire passed my face. The heat smacked into me as if I’d opened a furnace. I dropped to the ground, aimed my weapon toward the point of origin, and fired. The green plasma didn’t hit the target, but it illuminated him. I modified my direction and fired again, but he already took cover behind the corner of the wall.
Smithson fired in a different direction, down the middle toward the main desk. I tried to lock on to any movement ahead of us, but was too late. One of the enemy weapons fired and the discharge narrowly missed Trent, but burned his arm. He backed to the closest wall, grasping his arm and crying out.
We had to fall back, but when I turned toward the door, I saw a handful more soldiers advancing on us from the street.
They were waiting for us and we walked right into it. I figured I could smack my head against a wall later. Now we had to get out of the line of fire. The long hallway pinned us from the entrance to the lobby, but there were a couple of doors on each side. I aimed the revolver toward the closest door and fired at its handle. The lock melted after a few hits, and I stood and grabbed Trent’s shirt.
“This way,” I said, pulling the wounded council member to safety. Smithson opened a barrage of fire and spun to prevent the soldiers at the entrance from shooting.
The good news was that every office in the area had the same design—two chairs, a desk, and walls that turned into windows four feet off the ground. That meant we were able to smash the glass and move from office to office. The bad news was that the windows led right out to the lobby area, four office rooms down, where the soldiers caught sight of us. I dropped Trent as gently as I could and hustled to take cover behind the lower wall. Glass shattered.
“This doesn’t really help much,” Smithson spat as he took position beside me.
“It’s a flux of a lot better than staying in the narrow hall where they could pick us off one by one.”
A crackling noise came from above me, something similar to static. A communication speaker was attached to the ceiling. The static fluctuated for a couple of seconds before a voice spoke that made my heart skip a beat.
“Daniel Quinn and party,” Granak purred over the intercom. “Welcome.”
I had little difficulty determining who caused all the bloodshed now. If Granak was here, it meant everyone was most likely dead.
“Daniel,” he continued. “Your honor is respectable and your determination admirable. However, do you see where they lead you? You are trapped, your vehicle is under our control, and as I speak my operatives are determining the vehicle’s point of origin.”
Stars above . . . the council, Tress, and Autumn . . .
We had to do something. But what? The soldiers’ assault stopped the moment Granak spoke, which meant they followed him. I thought back to my previous encounter with him at Damon’s estate.
“Your operatives?” I shouted. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me over the intercom or not, but I didn’t stop. “If I recall, Granak, you don’t care for humans, even the ones who obey you. You threw one of your men to the side just to get a piece of me. Well, here I am. Let’s finish this.”
I aimed my revolver in the general direction of the lobby and released a barrage of plasma.
“What the hell was that all about?” Smithson asked.
“Granak is the threat here, not the soldiers.” I whispered and pulled Trent close. “Where are the closest communication stations?”
He winced and his eyes darted from entrance to lobby. He looked terrified. I grabbed his good arm hard and shook him.
“Trent, we’re in a shitty situation, but if we don’t contact Smithson’s home and warn the council, Granak is going to kill them. Where are the comm stations?”
He squinted and took deep breaths. Smithson leaned out the office door and fired a few rounds toward the entrance.
“There are two, I think . . . third floor about a dozen doors down from the southeast stairwell . . . and then on the fifth floor, but I can’t remember where that is.”
“Good enough. You and Smithson are going to the third floor, and I’ll try to make it to the fifth. Contact the council and get them the hell out of there.”
Smithson grabbed me as I advanced toward the door.
“How the hell is splitting up going to help anything?”
“Granak will come after me. Our rivalry is like a game to him. He has my scent. And if I can draw some of the soldiers’ fire, then you and Trent can get up to the third floor and warn the council.”
I worried that Smithson would grab me or try to hold me back, but instead he unloaded another round toward the entrance and pushed me out. I sprinted as fast as I could toward the northwest stairs, opposite of where Trent and Smithson would go. When I entered the hallway, I aimed toward the soldiers hiding behind the lobby wall and fired. They didn’t expect me and both plasma blasts found their marks. I didn’t wait to see if the soldiers went down. Besides, my focus was on Granak. He was somewhere in the building.
I reached the stairwell door and slammed my boot against it. It burst open and I aimed at the opening in case Granak waited there. Empty. I moved up the stairs with my bionic eye scanning for movement.
While I concentrated on upper floors, a crash and multiple footsteps clanged against the metal stairs beneath me. Two soldiers aimed and shot. Their blue discharges missed, but I felt their heat and didn’t wait for another attack.
At that point, I reached the fifth floor and broke into a sprint down the carpeted hallway, ducking behind the first corner. Sweat burned my eye and I violently thrust my finger into it to wipe the pain away. All the while, I aimed down the hall at the stairwell door, which remained open.
Anxiety crept over my body, as if millions of tiny bugs crawled on my skin. The soldiers would be coming through the stairwell doors any moment, and Granak was here, somewhere, waiting to attack.
Where the hell was he? Fear escalated when I realized that he might have gone after Trent and Smithson. My confidence in his games allowed me to ignore any other outlet, but how well did I really know him? Smithson wouldn’t be able to save both of them, especially with Trent’s injuries, if it came to a fight with the Leondren mercenary.
My worries were both relieved and intensified when the soldiers emerged from the stairwell and shot at me. I leaned over to retaliate, but plaster and wood exploded from the stairs and the hulking form of Granak grabbed the two soldiers by their heads and charged toward the opposite wall, using their bodies as battering rams to break through the wall.
I fired off a round of plasma, but it only scorched the wall at the end of the hall. I switched my bionic eye to theoretical analysis mode to predict his next move, all the while breathing hard from exhaustion.
The problem was the mode wasn’t designed to anticipate Granak smashing through walls.
I heard the crack of glass and plaster a second before the Leondren pounced. I could only register fear, but fortunately, the fear of death motivated me to survive, and I rolled under him. I grabbed my sword’s hilt and pulled it off the magnetic lock. Granak liked to play things close, so my best bet to hurt him would be with the blade, like last time.
I just needed an opportune moment, so I ran away from
him and he gave chase. I aimed over my shoulder and unleashed two plasma rounds. Both found their mark, judging by his painful grunts, but our pace never lessened. I dodged into an open doorway before Granak’s large claws could take off my head. Flashes of pain lanced across my back. I landed on a large metal desk and tumbled off its side. Somehow, I’d managed to keep the sword and revolver in my hands as I went down.
When Granak stormed into the room, I scrambled to a glass window that led to open air, five stories above a small courtyard of dead grass and gray cement. I raised both weapons toward him.
“There is a thrill when chasing you, young one,” Granak said, his grin revealing sharp teeth. “So many others give up and die. They scream as I tear into them and break them. But you are one of a few who manage to evade me.”
“Give up and die? Or you just kill them because they’re in your way?” I asked, thinking of the officers he killed.
“We are all that matter, you and I,” he said with a hint of a purr.
Leaning against the window only worsened the pain in my back, but I didn’t feel any blood seeping from the wounds.
“Why do you pursue me? What’s this all worth? How much is Ambrose paying you?”
He laughed throatily. I just needed to keep him distracted long enough to provide Trent and Smithson enough time to warn the others. If my death meant that a handful of people would live, including Tress and Autumn, my conscience would be clear.
“Money is involved, yes, but there’s so much more to it. If only you knew the scope of events.”
“Then tell me,” I said. Keep him talking, keep his focus on me.
“The general wants you captured, you know, but I have a proposal for you. Let me end your life here. Now. I will give you a glorious death, one you will be remembered for.”
He seemed . . . serious. Even, dare I say it, sympathetic.
“Um, that’s kind of you,” I said, unable to think of another response, “but I’d prefer to take my chances living.”
“You say that now, but these humans want you for something. The money they paid me to find you, it is no secret that they want you contained for their amusement. After fighting with you, I feel it is a disgraceful way to live—one you do not deserve.”
The bastard had a damn good point. In less than ten years, I’d been captured and imprisoned on more than one occasion. Both times, I wished for death before Sarah King and her people could have their way with me. But what if there was still a sliver of a chance I could save the council and prevent the war from happening?
“I won’t give up,” I said, hardening my grip on the sword’s hilt. “I’ll stop you, Ambrose, and this fluxing war from happening.”
“Ha! You think you can stop events already set in motion? Why do you think I’m here? The orders have been given. The commander of this station is dead, the declaration of war signed with his blood. As you speak of being a savior, the Terrans and Gaians launch their ships to destroy each other.”
No. If that was true, it meant I failed. Through the pain and fatigue, anger and frustration rose over all the blood spilled and lives lost. I glared and bared my teeth, despite their lack of sharp points.
“Go to hell!”
I threw my sword swift and straight, the sharp edge going for its second hit in Granak’s midsection. He growled furiously and jumped over it with his claws extended. By focusing on me and nothing else, he missed an important fact: when you’re airborne, you can’t adjust your movement.
All he saw was a beaten, tired man. He didn’t see me shoot the glass behind me. Strong gusts of wind flew into the room. I leaned hard to the side and he landed atop me. I pushed off the ground and rolled toward the new opening. He flipped and fell out the window. His continuous roar deepened as he dropped. Until he landed.
I stood and grabbed my sword, knowing full well Granak was still alive. If he could survive plasma blasts and sword stabs, a five-story fall wouldn’t be much for him. Exhausted, I loped toward the southeast stairs and Smithson and Trent.
I stumbled down two flights of stairs to the third floor, opened the door, and heard the shouting. I assumed they were under attack, and held my weapons up as I advanced.
Twelve doors down, just like Trent said, the two of them stood behind a large, rectangular desk with a computerized glass top like I’d seen on Terra. A green wavelength bar grew and softened as people spoke. I recognized Tress in the background; he was the only one speaking his native Restran language. Trent and Smithson were staring daggers at each other.
“What’s going on?” I asked. Neither had seen me come in. Moving at the same time, Trent jumped back, almost falling from his leg injury, while Smithson pointed his rifle at me.
“Daniel, where’s the Leondren?”
“He’ll be back soon. Did you tell them what’s going on?”
“Oh, we told them,” Trent said. “But he isn’t letting them leave!”
I looked to where Trent pointed. At Smithson.
“What the flux are you doing?”
“Daniel, if we lose the Belle, we lose the artificial intelligence program. I can’t find a way to Tristain or a way to deactivate the weapons without it.”
“Are you kidding me?” I said and walked into the room. “Capt . . . Smithson . . . it’s too late. Terra and Gaia have lost. Our best option now is to get the remaining council to safety, get them clear. If we can regroup, we might be able to plan some—”
“Plan?” Smithson spat. “Your plans don’t seem to work very well, Daniel.”
When I didn’t answer, Smithson lowered his rifle. That’s when I aimed my weapon at his head.
“It’s not a plan anymore,” I said. “Now it’s a threat. Give Al permission to take off with the council, Tress, and Autumn Derringer.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me? Your former commanding officer, the man who helped you get your ship, who gave you the A.I. in the first place?”
“Smithson . . . Greg,” I said, putting in all the hurt and stress I could muster. “In minutes, Granak will come in here and kill us all, if the soldiers aren’t on their way already. We lost, but don’t let the council lose. Let them live. Let Damon’s daughter live.”
Smithson eyes shifted from mine to my revolver. Then, he looked down at the whispering computer.
Smithson keyed a command on the desk and read aloud a line of computer code.
“Authorization Smithson, Gregory. The Kestrel Belle is clear for departure.”
Al’s voice came over the speaker.
“Access is granted to set course off planet. Orders, Captain?” He was speaking to me, possibly for the last time.
“Al, as soon as Autumn, Tress, and the council are onboard, take off and set course away from the planets. Give Autumn and Tress access to set course controls.”
“Acknowledged, sir. Good luck.”
Al didn’t believe in luck, a human concept, which meant all the more coming from him. Autumn’s soft voice was the next to speak.
“Daniel? We’re coming for you.”
“Do not!” I yelled. “There’s no time left for us. Get the council to safety. Promise me!”
She didn’t argue, but the silence for the next few seconds felt like it lasted a lifetime.
“I promise,” she whispered.
“Take care of the council and Tress.”
The communication desk exploded in sparks and flames. I fell back and hit my head against the wall, while Smithson ducked before he was hit from debris flying around the room. A handful of soldiers charged in, followed by General Ambrose. Granak strode in moments later, his eyes wide and hateful toward me. I smiled in satisfaction at his limp.
“Grab them and bind their hands,” Ambrose ordered. Granak took the pleasure of grabbing my neck and lifting me off the ground. My vision blackened as my airway became tighter and tighter.
“Granak, release him now.”
He did and I breathed in refreshing air. I didn’t care whether it was tainted. But as
I watched Granak’s hand pull away, I saw my necklace around his fingers. Before I could reach for it, he crushed Ashley’s ring and Al’s microdrive with it.
“You are clever,” he said. “But I’ve studied you, Daniel Quinn. There will be no escape now.”
Few people knew about the teleportation module inside the drive, but I used it twice against Sarah King. If she knew about it, then her cyborgs probably knew, although Ambrose didn’t seem to care. He looked to the soldier on his left as my eyes glazed over with tears.
“Did we secure the location for the remaining council?” Ambrose asked.
“Yes, sir. We analyzed the communication signal and determined where it was sent. Our forces will be there in minutes.”
Stars above, would that be enough time for the Belle to take off without being detected? And if it was, would Ambrose’s men pursue it into space with their own ships? All I could do was stand there, still devastated over the loss of Ashley’s engagement ring, and wonder about the fate of my friends as our hands were bound. Ambrose, Granak, and their men marched us out of the building toward our fate, and I had no idea if my ship escaped. I didn’t know whether Autumn, Tress, and the council were safe or dead.
Twenty Two
The starship’s movements made my stomach complain with strong waves of nausea. That, coupled with the pounding headache volleying behind my forehead, meant a possible concussion. When Ambrose and Granak marched us out of the Gaian compound, we boarded a small ship and took off towards space. They placed us in some kind of storage room that contained four metal walls with shelves on two sides. Smithson sat against a bare side across from the door, his eyes locked on the ground.
No one told us where we were going, but I had a good idea.
“I almost didn’t join the council,” Trent said, more to himself than anyone else. “I first thought the idea was ludicrous and a waste of time.”
“What changed your mind?” I asked.
He didn’t turn his head or look at me. Instead, he stared at the wall, but his eyes looked out of focus, as if dazed or zoned out of the moment.
Antagonize (From the Logs of Daniel Quinn Book 2) Page 19