Leaving the chips in wasn’t a better solution either. That brain chip was every Chaanisar’s Achilles heel. If they went anywhere near a Juttari ship again, that would be the end of their freedom. The Chaanisar would be turned back into ruthless slave warriors. The Juttari possessed the jump system technology now. How long would it take them to retrofit the rest of their fleet with the systems? How long until Juttari warships started showing up out here? That would mean imprisonment or worse for his Marines. An unacceptable risk. They had to remove those chips before that happened.
Up ahead he began to see the city’s skyline. It was an incredible contrast to the landscape they had encountered so far. The city seemed as overcrowded and depressing as any back on Earth. Even here humans lived on top of each other. From a mere glimpse he saw that they clung to more of Earth than just its plant life. People were the same everywhere. Group large numbers together and they scurried around, thinking they were making progress, but really just finding different ways of securing their next meal. They compete with fervor in the contest of life, vying for rank and status, clamoring for a few golden hairs of Fleece. They believe themselves free and ambitious, but are blind to the true nature of their bondage.
As they entered the city’s skies the air traffic became thicker. They flew around for a bit, looking out at the metropolis, trying to decide where to start their search. Then something caught Kevin’s eye. There was a buzz of activity dead ahead. They approached cautiously, keeping a safe distance so as not to call attention to themselves, but getting close enough to survey the situation. What looked like official vehicles circled above more commotion below. On the ground lay a smoking craft with a crowd around it. The scene looked very out of place. Of course it could simply be mechanical failure, but something about it smelled of the Captain. They had no other leads so that made it as good a place to start as any.
Kevin had Chen land their vehicle on a nearby rooftop. They all exited and headed for the lift. The burly men crowded into the glass cabin and headed down to the ground level. Looking out at the forest of tall buildings, Kevin knew that the Captain could be anywhere, and they didn’t have much time until they were found out.
“Chief, look,” said Henderson, pointing to one of the buildings. The side of the building was illuminated with an advertisement. Only it wasn’t a product being sold. On the side of the building was the Captain’s face. A wanted sign. The image then transitioned to show Breeah’s face. At least they now knew the Captain and Breeah were together.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” said Kevin.
“No, Sir,” agreed Henderson.
When they reached the ground level they headed in the direction of the downed hovercraft. Soon they came upon the gathering crowd. Station security had cordoned off a perimeter and weren’t letting anyone get close to the vehicle. Once Kevin got a good look at it he was convinced it had something to do with the Captain. The downed craft wasn’t an ordinary civilian model. This one had guns attached and showed signs of recent combat. It was too much of a coincidence. The Captain either shot it down, or was shot down himself. Kevin looked around at the crowd and saw an older, talkative man. He seemed to know what was going on and looked too eager to share his knowledge with those around him. Kevin approached the man.
“What happened here?” said Kevin.
The man turned to Kevin and smiled, eager to tell the exciting story. “It was the fugitive. The one that killed Mr. Jansen. He was in the security vehicle. Making a run for it. But the drone got him. I saw the whole thing. They shot each other down.”
“Where’s the fugitive now? Did they catch him?” said Kevin.
“No. They didn’t catch any of them.”
“Them?”
“Yeah, the accomplices. They were altogether. The other man and the women.”
“You saw them?”
“I sure did. A scary experience, let me tell you. He looked right at me. I’ve never seen eyes like that on a man before. Deadly eyes. I thought he was going to shoot me, but they just ran off.”
“Which way did they go?”
“Just down that way and around the corner,” said the man, pointing with his finger.
“Thanks for the info.”
“It sure is something. But nothing like my run in with the raiders. Now that was a scary situation. I was hauling some freight and-”
“Sorry, but I’ve got to go.”
“Suit yourself,” said the man. He then turned to the man standing on the other side of him and said, “Those raiders are some dangerous people, I can tell you that much.”
Kevin turned to Henderson and said, “Looks like the Captain was here. The question is where is he now?”
“They probably know,” said Henderson, nodding his head in the direction of a couple of security personnel walking away from the crowd. “They’ll have the most up to date information.”
“Agreed,” said Kevin, and they set off after the men.
Kevin and Henderson took the lead, and the rest of the Marines fell in behind. Kevin wondered if these guys were still on duty. They certainly didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere and they acted too casual, like they were just out for a walk, rather than working. He decided they were just unprofessional. Men like that would never make it in his unit.
The men turned a corner and entered a building. Kevin signaled to the rest of the Marines to stay outside while he and Henderson broke into a quick jog and entered the building behind the men. Inside was a quiet open area. The two men stood just inside talking together. They both turned and looked at Kevin and Henderson, apparently not expecting to be interrupted.
“Excuse me,” said Kevin. “We need some help.”
The one man rolled his eyes and sighed, not hiding his annoyance with the request. “We’re off duty,” he said. “You’ll have to find someone else to help you.”
Kevin and Henderson quickly closed the gap between them and the two men. “It’ll only take a moment of your time, Sir,” Kevin said.
“Do you have a problem with your ears?” said the second man. “He said we’re off duty. Now get the hell out of here before we find a reason to arrest you.”
“I’m sorry for bothering you, but it’s just a quick question” said Kevin, just steps away from the man now. He wasn’t sure what it was that triggered the response. Maybe the fact that two very large men were still coming at them after being ordered to leave. Whatever it was, the first man got nervous and reached for his weapon.
Henderson was closer and reacted instantly, surging forward and landing the heel of his boot on the offending arm, connecting hard with the elbow, probably breaking the joint. Before the man could cry out in pain the Sergeant was on him, landing two heavy punches perfectly on the man’s chin. The blows turned the lights out for the man and he fell backwards like a falling tree.
The second man tried for his own weapon, but Kevin had gotten too close. With a powerful low kick Kevin swept the man’s legs out from under him and the man hit the ground awkwardly, not getting his hands up to protect his face. There was the ugly sound of skull crashing against unforgiving floor and a pool of blood quickly started to build around the man’s head. Not taking any chances, Kevin seized the man’s arm and held him in place with a knee to the small of his back.
They disarmed the men, stripped them of their clothing and identification, and found a storage room to hide them. They got as much information as they could from the men, including the Captain’s last known whereabouts, and left them there. Most importantly they took their communicators. They now had access to the security broadcasts and updates.
Outside, they regrouped with the rest of the Marines and headed off towards the Captain’s last location. They were closer now, but finding the Captain in time was still a long shot.
Chapter 58
“AI,” said Jon, accessing his comm.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Can you take down those pictures of us they’re showing on th
e buildings all over the city? They’re really not helping.”
“I believe so, Captain. Give me a few minutes.”
Jon stood in a lift staring out the window at his face on the side of the building in front of him. Getting out of the city was going to be a lot harder now that everybody knew his face. They had run away from the crash and ducked into a building to stay out of sight. They needed another vehicle, otherwise getting out would be impossible.
The lift stopped and the doors opened. A small, gray haired woman shuffled inside. She looked at Darla and said, “Hello.”
Darla forced a smile and returned the greeting. The woman scanned the group appraisingly. She stopped at the girls and said, “Hello children. Are you having fun today?”
The girls just looked back with blank faces and didn’t respond. The woman chuckled and said to Darla, “They’re shy huh? My grandchildren are the same way. I keep telling them not to be afraid of people, but they’re young. They’ll learn soon enough.”
Darla smiled at the old woman again, but didn’t say anything. The woman’s eyes then rested on Jon. She had clever eyes betraying a quick mind. Jon wondered how many people she fooled with the grandma game she played. She also hid her thoughts well, and Jon couldn’t gauge what her opinion of him was. She turned away from Jon and looked out the window. There, right in front of her was a giant picture of him, with a caption saying he was wanted for the murder of Mr. Jansen. The woman stood motionless staring at the picture. For all her slyness, Jon knew she was trying to come to terms with the information she had been given. She was trapped in this small lift with a murderer.
What would she do? Jon wondered. Would she try and play it cool? Pretend like she didn’t see anything? It would be a little ridiculous considering the ten story tall picture of him. He was overcome with a cruel curiosity. How would this sly gray fox try to get out of the dangerous situation she found herself in? He had to admit he didn’t expect her decision.
Without warning the woman screamed as loud as she could. She had to have strong lungs to belt it out like that. Jon put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, but she kept screaming. She turned around and started punching Jon as hard as she could. While she did have unexpected strength for someone her age, the blows didn’t hurt too much. He let her bang away at his chest in hopes that she would soon run out of steam.
“Let me out! Let me out!” she wailed.
“Calm down,” said Jon, in an even tone. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Murderer! Help! Help!”
She swung at him like a windmill as she tried to reach the door. Jon stood in front of her, blocking her path.
“Look, just relax. Nothing’s going to happen to you. We just need to get to the roof and then we’ll let you go.”
“What are you doing with these people?” she said. “Has he hurt you,” she said, looking at the children.
“No,” said Anki, shaking her head.
“You poor thing,” said the woman. “Animal! You let these people go!”
Jon endured another round of windmill strikes. He looked at Breeah who had a mischievous grin on her face. “Really?” he said. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Surprisingly I am,” said Breeah, giggling. Her mirth must have been contagious because Anki looked up at her mother and began giggling as well. Soon Alina and Otka joined in followed by Seiben and Darla.
The laughter shocked the old woman, and she stopped hitting Jon. She looked around at the smiling faces surrounding her. Wagging a finger at them she said, “You’re all crazy. Every one of you.”
“Just take it easy grandma,” said Seiben. “You’re not in any danger.”
The lift reached the rooftop and the doors opened. They all walked out and left the old woman behind.
“See,” said Seiben, turning back to speak to her. “I told you.” He turned away and rejoined the group.
They headed to an array of parked vehicles up ahead. Jon hoped he would find another security vehicle, but there was nothing with any firepower. He settled on the first craft he saw and had the AI unlock the vessel to give him access. The rest of the group climbed in. Jon powered up the vessel. It hummed quietly, ready to take off. He eased the craft up off the landing pad and turned around so they could fly it out of the city.
As he did he heard screams again. He turned and saw the old lady standing near the edge of the roof waving her arms and screaming, “Help! Help!”
He looked off in the direction she was looking and saw a security craft floating above a nearby building. He cursed. His only option was to run and take advantage of whatever head start he had. The craft surged forward and he accelerated as much as it would let him. His vehicle had no guns and no armor. His only hope was that the security craft wouldn’t notice the old lady until he got away.
“Captain,” said the AI over his comm. “A security team has identified you and is in pursuit.”
“Great,” said Jon.
“And Captain.”
“Yes, AI?”
“I’ve removed your pictures from all displays, including the ones on the buildings.”
“Thank you, AI.”
“You’re most welcome, Captain.”
Chapter 59
“Fugitive has been spotted in hovercraft. Security team is in pursuit,” said the voice over the security communicator.
“That’s him,” said Kevin. “They’re on him. We need to get to one of those ships fast.”
“In here,” said Henderson.
The team ducked into a building and ran for the lift. The lift took them up to the roof where they could find a vehicle. The Captain and his pursuers had a head start but the security reports should point them in the right direction. He only hoped the Captain could elude capture long enough for them to catch up.
They reached the roof without incident and ran toward the parked vehicles. One happened to be landing as they approached. It was still powered on and the passengers had just disembarked. It looked as though the driver was about to take off. He waved goodbye to his passengers when he noticed Kevin’s team running up. With curiosity, he watched and waited to see what the urgency was all about. When Sergeant Henderson came up to his door and opened it, that curiosity quickly turned to fear. Henderson reached in and grabbed the man by the hair. He pulled the wide eyed civilian out of the vehicle, throwing him to the ground. His passengers looked on in shock as the Marines climbed into the humming craft.
Henderson again let Chen into the driver’s seat. Kevin sat in the passenger seat, the Sergeant and the rest of the men climbed into the back. Chen lifted the vehicle off the landing pad and headed in the direction of the chase. Inside, the Marines readied themselves for combat. The time for disguises was quickly coming to an end. They pulled their weapons out from their coveralls, and checked to make sure everything was in working order. They had outfitted themselves with Chaanisar rail guns, preferring to have the punch and armor piercing capabilities the energy weapons sometimes lacked. They wore armor underneath their coveralls for protection. Unlike a combat suit, the armor was lighter and not powered, and didn’t offer the same amount of protection. It did shield them, however, and would allow them to take a few hits before it started to fail. It protected their torsos, arms and legs, but not their heads. Unfortunately it was the only option that allowed them to stay covert.
As they headed for the outskirts of the city a report came in over the security frequency. “Fugitive vehicle has been fired upon and hit. Craft is losing altitude.”
“Damn it!” said Kevin. “Can’t this thing go any faster?”
“Sorry Chief, it’s maxed out,” said Chen.
Kevin punched the dashboard. They were too far away. The security forces would get to the Captain first.
“Lieutenant Jarvi to Chief St. Clair,” said a voice over Kevin’s comm.
“St. Clair here.”
“We have successfully disabled the station’s weapons, Chief. What’s your status?”
<
br /> “We’re in the air. We’ve located the Captain, but we’re too far and station security forces are already on top of them.”
“Understood. Send me the Captain’s location, Chief. We’ll try and reach them from the ground. Maybe our teams can flank the security force.”
Kevin sent Jarvi the coordinates. The Chaanisar were fast, but were they fast enough?
Over the security frequency came another update. “Fugitive hovercraft has been grounded. Fugitives now on foot. We are giving pursuit.”
Kevin ground his teeth and hit the dash again. “Come on! Let’s go!” he said in frustration.
The voice came over the security frequency again, this time sounding panicked. “We are taking fire… Requesting assistance…” The Marines were all quiet, waiting for the next update. “We’ve been hit. Repeat, we’ve been hit. We are going down. Request immediate assistance.”
Cheers broke out in the hovercraft.
“You’re gonna need more than one of these damn flying toys to take out the Captain,” yelled Kevin, releasing some of the tension that had built up inside him.
Another voice came over the security frequency. “Hold position, assistance is on the way.”
The cheers quieted down at the sound, replaced by a grim determination. The Captain had bought them some time, but the battle wasn’t over yet. Kevin knew it likely hadn’t even begun.
Chapter 60
Jon ran, but not at full speed. Not even at half speed. He was slowed by the group, and the group was slowed by the children. When it was just Anki he could carry her to pick up the pace, but he couldn’t carry all three, so they had to move slower than necessary. Seiben and Darla carried their two girls which was taking its toll on their mobility. At that speed it was a certainty that the security forces would overtake them. He had shot down the last team that chased them. He had been lucky. They weren’t cautious when they approached, thinking they had Jon at their mercy. Perhaps they didn’t think he was armed? Either way they were foolish and gave him an opportunity to fire. The next round wouldn’t be as easy. They had managed to leave the city and were now running through the acres of parkland that surrounded it. The landscape was serene and pleasant, woefully unsuited to their desperate circumstances.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 42