There is a snapping sound behind her followed by a soft yellow glow. Jack had pulled out a hand full of glow sticks from his small side pouch. He hands them over to Kat and Jinx saying it was all he had.
The tunnel goes back farther than Kat thought it would, and curves around like a coiled snake or the line at the intergalactic department of interstellar vehicles. She thinks Mark better really be at the end of this maze or she’s going to kill him once she finds him.
The end of the tunnel lights up in front of Kat from the glow stick. It was a metal panel not like the rest of the corridor she had just been through. There was no handle and no latch. She inspects the panel without finding anything that would suggest that it would open.
Kat punches the panel out of frustration. It falls to the ground with a loud twang. Soft yellow light floods the tunnel making her wince.
A male voice says, “So you’re the woman that I talked to about rescuing Terra and getting off this inverted rock.”
13
Kat opens her eyes and sees Mark standing in a hallway past the tunnel. He was slightly taller than her but nothing out of the ordinary. Which was the best term to describe him, ordinary. From his black hair to his olive colored skin, even his clothing was just a plain blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Nothing stood out but the dark sunglasses that he wore covering his eyes and the white gloves on his hands.
Kat says, “Yes I am. My name is Katrice Wylde and you’re Mark I take it?”
“Yes.”
“Great, then take us to Terra so we can get out of here as fast as possible.”
“Certainly.”
Kat feels Graven’s grip around her arm before she can take a step into the hallway. Kat turns to look at Jinx who is staring daggers at Mark.
Jinx whispers to Kat, “I don’t like this guy.”
Kat whispers back, “He’s our only lead to where Terra is right now. Plus look at him, he’s harmless. I bet all we have to do is throw some dirt his way and he’d go into a panic. He made this tunnel dirt-less and with gloves like that on, he has to have a complex about it.”
“We’re in the tower, lets just try to find her ourselves.”
“Jinx, we don’t have the time. Hanna might be injured or worse. That warrior and possibly more like him could be on the way soon. We have to trust this guy. He’s a human who wants off this alien planet after being kidnaped. We can trust him.”
“But something about him is making my skin crawl.”
“When you figure that out tell me, but for now we are following him.”
Mark asks, “Everything ok?”
Kat says, “Yes, just talking.”
“Excellent. The door that leads to Terra is just right across the service level here. There is a long hallway past the door that leads right into the lab where Terra is being held.”
Mark waives them on in, and Kat steps past the panel on the floor. She got the wrong impression of what she was staring at from the corridor. The ceiling was at least twenty feet above her head, and the adjacent wall was over ten feet away. There was a red stripe painted on the walls near the floor which was a kind of tile flooring. The whole place gave Kat a very sterile vibe. As if it was a hospital or research facility.
Jack walks up next to Kat and whispers, “What was that all about?”
“Jinx doesn’t trust Mark.”
“Oh really. Well add me onto that list, but only because I don’t trust anyone who didn’t come with me.”
Mark walks across the floor and up to a panel next to the only visible door. He presses a couple of buttons which opens a hand scanner and eye reader. Kat walks up behind him and waits for him to open the door. He doesn’t. He presses a few more buttons on the panel followed by what Kat would consider error noises. He shifts his stance a tad still typing away on the screen. There is a cheerful noise as Mark turns around.
He says, “Got it. I need one of you to place your hand on the scanner here.”
Kat says, “Ok I’ll do it.”
“Wait, I meant one of the two men. Foremid women are not allowed such positions. It would set off a red flag if you did it.”
“How’s that?”
“This doesn’t just scan finger prints, it’s a biometric scanner. It will take a small sample of everything in your hand and register you as a new senior researcher for this lab, giving full access. It took me months to learn the right keys to get the door to accept this. I’m already in the system and can’t change my placement without rising suspicion.”
Jack says, “Fine I’ll do it.”
He steps forward, and Jinx grabs his arm shaking her head. Jack pulls his arm from her hand and places his hand on the scanner. There was a look of disgust in Jack’s eyes that she hadn’t seen before. She might have only known him for a few weeks, but she had seen him at his worst moment and felt like she knew him better because of that. With a look like that though, she wonders where it comes from.
The scanner has a horizontal and vertical light running underneath Jack’s hand, each blinking through yellow, green, and white. Three happy chirps later the scanner shuts off.
Jack says, “Is that it?”
Mark says, “Yes, it worked. Just place your hand there again and it should open the door.”
“It better.”
Jack raises and replaces his hand back on the scanner. Two white lights, one horizontal and one vertical, scan his hand. The panel flashes purple making an squealing noise. The yellow lights on the ceiling above them turn orange. Kat can see it is only in the section that they are in, and the yellow lights are on either side.
Mark says, “I was afraid this might happen.”
Kat says, “Afraid what might happen?”
“We need to go down to the main power room and force a reset. When I blew out the secondary power, it caused the main power to flicker from the shockwave. The secondary power controls the biometrics and scanners. When it went offline, I had some time to put in my changes so I could add someone to the system, but it looks like it needs a restart before it will accept anyone new. That also isn’t the worse part. We need to go to security to override the door lock on the lab now.”
Kat was beside herself. She knew anger wasn’t going to get her anywhere right now. Sure it might feel great bordering ecstatic blowing up at this guy. He did cause their ship to crash and is now taking them out of the way because of something else he messed up. But again it wouldn’t get them any closer to getting Terra out of the facility, so she pushes down the anger.
Jack and Jinx were right next to her with what she saw were the same feelings she just was working through.
Before anyone blows up in anger she says, “So where do we go first?”
Mark says, “We should go to the main power generators first. Security is always filled with at least two warriors. So we need to get them out. By shutting down and resetting the power, they would have to go patrol and head to the main power room. If we take the long way around back to security, there shouldn’t be anyone inside when we get there.”
Jack says, “This better not end up with like the last two things you’ve tried to do.”
Mark says in a confused voice, “And what is that?”
“Where you fucked up. Thats what.”
“I have not, it was a calculated risk nothing more. I knew there was a chance the system would need to reboot after the code was entered. What is this other thing you are referring to?”
“You knocked out ship out of the sky. When you did whatever you did with the secondary power source you’re talking about. We don’t even know if its going to be running by the time we get back.”
“You have a magi-tech drive on that ship. Interesting. You’re vessel looked like it was from the Earth Empire so I did not take that into consideration. No matter, I can fix it if it isn’t running. It is my thing.”
Kat asks, “So you’re from the Guild?”
Mark says, “No, but I know their technology well enough. It’s the same kind of e
ngine that is running the power here, just a crudely made human model. The Eydulan models were much more efficient and elegant. It would be like comparing flawless diamond to a chipped glass replica.”
“But you’re saying that you could fix it, if it isn’t fixed when we get there?”
“Easily. It would only take me a few minutes to get it up and running. Magi-tech engines are a near perfect energy source. With the only flaw being the one you just witnessed. You just have to know how to - oh how would I say this in layman’s terms - jump start it. Yes that would work, jump start it.”
Kat was happy to hear that. She wasn’t quite sure if she wanted this guy on her ship, but there was a small cell, near the engine room. He could always just get locked up in there for a few days till they reach somewhere they could drop him off. The cell was a place she guessed for the solders that didn’t follow orders if the Felicity got used for what it’s original purpose was.
She wanted to get Terra out of there as quick as possible, and Mark’s plan did make sense. If there were guards, they would have to go check on a power outage and would have to patrol since the power went out. She also didn’t have a better idea.
Kat says reluctantly, “Which way do we go from here then?”
Mark points to his left, her right, and says, “That way.”
14
In the distance she could see a small green stripe right above the red one on the wall before the walkway curves. She wondered about how they might get back and find the corridor exit.
Mark tells her that all of the walls on the service level are color coded, and they started at red. They have to get to yellow before they can take the elevator up to the reactor level. Plus the service level was a big circle built into the hillside, so it was really difficult to get lost down there. Just keep walking till you get where you want to go. The upper floors are where things will get interesting.
Jinx and Jack are whispering behind Kat as she walks beside Mark. It was good to see they were civil but she could guess why, they both didn’t trust Mark. Kat on the other hand trusted this guy. You don’t just randomly meet a human within a cloaked Dyson sphere. He had to have gotten captured by the Foremid for some reason - one that Kat would love to hear once this was all done - and that was good enough for her trust.
Halfway through the green section the overhead lights turn orange. And it wasn’t just in their section, it was as far as Kat could see in both directions. Near the ceiling every six feet apart or so a small octagonal panel slides apart from the middle. She looks over to Mark who starts shifting his head around toward each of the newly opened holes in the wall.
He says, “I didn’t think they would do this quite so quickly. I figured we had time before they released the drones.”
Kat asks, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“We need to run. Now.”
Mark takes off running in the direction they were walking, and Kat follows behind him.
Jack asks, “What are we running from?”
Mark says, “The drones. Any minute now they will come out of those openings. This orange light is a warning to the Foremid that work here. It means caution. Once the drones get active, any non Foremid will get erased. Its mostly for pest control, but we will set them off.”
Jinx says, “They reprogramed the Eydulan’s technology?”
Mark says, “The Foremid have wanted Eydulan technology for a long time. So yes, they reprogramed it.”
Kat sees the drones drop out of the walls. Grapefruit sized polished black balls roll out and mid-air twirling blades spring out keeping them from falling to the ground. The rest unfolds like a pillbug. An armored shell on the back, metal belly, and eight claws.
Kat notices Mark immediately stops running, straitens himself upright, and calmly walks in the direction they are headed. She follows his lead just as Jack and Jinx follows hers.
The drones begin their scan. For a second Kat thought she was at an amusement park light show. Every color in the rainbow shines out of what she considers the front of the drones. Orange laser pointer lights land on Jack, Jinx and herself. A yellow one lands on Mark. Kat watches Mark as she looks back and picks up the pace waiving everyone else along.
As they walk more and more drones keep coming closer and more orange lights get targeted on her front and back.
Kat asks, “Do these have cameras?”
Mark answers, “No. They have a rudimentary A.I. controlling them with a friend foe detection. I’m yellow, which means I am in the system. You’re orange, which again is a warning. I hope they see us all going the same direction they will just assume I am leading you somewhere.”
“What do you mean hope?” Jack says frustrated.
The lights on Jack, Jinx and Kat all turn purple.
Mark says, “Run.”
The underside of each drone within view opens it’s underside revealing a small barrel. One that Kat believes will be shooting at them very shortly. Both Kat and Jack have the same idea, reaching for their blasters and opening fire.
They get off the first volley of automatic fire landing three shots each on different drones in their immediate vicinity, destroying them. The rest of the drones fire back. Each shot feels like a tiny needle prick.
Each shot after gets incrementally worse. Needles turn into sharp stabs, which turn into light punches, then into stabbing punches. There was just too many of them to deal with. Every two to three Kat and Jack shot down, four more would show up.
Jack says, “There isn’t any fucking cover and there isn’t any rooms to run into.”
Kat and him had their backs up against the nearby wall, Mark was calmly sitting on the floor, and Jinx was jumping into the air, punching and kicking drones as fast as she could.
Jack screams, “Time to hop the nope train to fuck this shitville!”
He throws his blaster to the ground holding out his palms out. Red and black swirling clouds of ash form an inch or two away from his palms. White hot fire ignites around the swirling clouds.
Jamming them together pieces of the now singular cloud launch out of his hand hurling toward the closest drones. With each hit a splash of white fire and red ash. Every drone hit falls to the ground in a molten puddle.
Jack turns and repeats his assault on the other side melting down every drone in sight. The sound of tiny whirling blades can still be heard in the distance.
Kat says, “That was impressive.”
Jack shoots her a hateful glare.
She replies, “What, it was.”
He just makes a hmph noise.
Kat asks, “Mark how much farther?”
Mark says, “Just around the corner. But there are going to be more drones waiting over there.”
Kat feels heat emanating off of Jack. She looks at his face and it’s contorted in anger.
She asks, “Jack are you alright?”
He nods.
“You don’t look like it.”
He says in a low angry tone, “I’m fine.”
Jack walks in the direction Mark just said the elevator was. Kat follows and isn’t sure what is wrong with him all of a sudden. She remembers the way magic effected Graven when he absorbed too much and wondered if it was something like that with Jack.
Kat can see the elevator now. Barely. There are drones all over the place in front of them. Almost enough so that it fills the walkway.
Jack throws one of the red and white flame balls into the group ahead of them. It explodes splashing the molten red ash. More drones fall to the ground in puddles with no visible difference in the numbers of the drones.
The drones launch their own volley of attacks, all focused on Jack. Every laser fired merges into a body shaped laser connecting to the front of Jack. He takes the hit, standing there for a moment, before collapsing to the ground. Kat runs to his side.
Red lights grow from dim to bright under each as their weapons point toward her.
Jack sits up and waves his hand. The molten puddles sla
m together and make a small wall around them blocking the blast. Kat can feel the heat radiating only a few inches away from her.
Jack stands with a wobble with his legs. Pushing his hands away from his body as the molten wall slams into the wall of drones. Each molds into a new wall now blocking the whole walkway.
Kat sees the elevator half covered by the new obstruction. She runs over to the controls on the wall and press them. Her heart is racing in her chest, she doesn’t even know if the door will still open.
The elevator reaches their level with a ding. The doors open revealing a small space to squeeze through. Large enough for everyone to get through.
Jack says standing in front of the doors, “I’m going back for Hanna. Don’t try and talk me out of it. I am not going to lose my wife again.”
Kat says, “I won’t. Graven would do the same thing.” She looks over at Jinx who shrugs while nodding. “Just make sure to not get yourself killed, and try and keep the exit clear.”
15
Kat’s heart is still racing as she watches the elevators indicator change symbols. Mark had pressed the floor button after she stepped in, and she was feeling lost. Jack just left. Hanna left. Graven is here but not really. She’s now alone with two strangers, one might have a familiar face but everything is wrong. Sure Jinx can be trusted, but that isn’t the point. Kat doesn’t really know Jinx but now she has to lean on her until they join back up with Jack and Hanna.
Checking her blaster shows about half of the clip is left. It at least worked on the drones unlike the warrior. Then there was the magic that she had brewing inside her. Both Hanna and Jack seem to have a handle on theirs, which should mean she can do the same. Why didn’t King tell her any of this, he told her about so many things in what felt like the months she spent with him. He could have had to decency to give her a quick - hey your magic isn’t going to work right away - speech.
Starship Magic 3: Abducted Page 7