“Warrior net. The General here just gave his life for mine.” I release my grip on the statue. He no longer glows like his men. My arms are stiff. The side of my face is numb. I rub my cheek and feel the pattern of the General’s armor on my skin. When I step away, my legs buckle. Strong arms grab me, holding me up. I lean back into Niall’s embrace. “Thanks.” Then I notice my team ringed around us. “No other injuries?” Surely I couldn’t be the only one.
Morgan grunts. “Minor scrapes and bruises. You’re the only one that doesn’t have any sense of self-preservation.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Niall squeezes me in warning. Instead I ask about the kids. “Was it all a ruse?”
“No. How do you think they unarmed us so easily? I’m not going to fight when kids are in danger.” Morgan’s disgust is clear. “The looters used them and were going to leave them here to die.”
“I think we need a new name for the looters,” I say. “Something along the lines of evil incarnate.”
“The aliens called the HoLFs demons, but there is more than one type of demon in this universe,” Niall says.
Elese cocks her head. “Are you sure? Seems to me like they’re of the same type. Murdering motherfu—”
“You made your point, Officer Kier,” Morgan says. She studies us for a moment. “Good work picking up on the ruse, but you should have evacuated immediately.”
“When you write us up, make sure to include a footnote on how you wouldn’t be able to write us up without us deviating from standard procedure.” Elese grins. “It’s a paradox. Right?”
“More like a catch 22,” Dad says.
Before anyone else can chime in, Morgan orders us to finish the mission. We climb the ladder to help the kids. At the sight of our black jumpsuits, Ceridwyn yells at the kids to hide in the forest while she stands in our path. I’m impressed. It’s only when she recognizes Morgan that she relaxes.
The poor woman is a wreck. Her clothing is stained and ripped. Smudges of dirt mark her pretty face and her blonde hair resembles a bird’s nest. Most telling are the lines of exhaustion around her blue eyes and her slight hunch as if the weight of her responsibilities makes it impossible for her to straighten.
When we explain that she’s safe, Ceridwyn loses it. She cries out and hugs Morgan, sobbing into our second-in-command’s shoulder. Morgan stiffens and pats the woman on the back with awkward motions. She gives us the come-help-me look, but we’re all trying not to laugh. Stoic, fearless Officer Morgan can’t handle an overly emotional survivor.
The kids are another story. Traumatized by the looters, they won’t leave their hiding places. I’m sent to coax them out. Why me? Because I’m the youngest and least fearsome. I gotta work on adopting an intimidating presence. In the meantime, I walk through the dense trees. It’s curious how the thick forest grew right up to the edges of the pit, but no further. Is it due to not having enough soil underground or some plant killer the aliens sprayed to keep the roots out of the pits? Q, do you know? Silence.
The kids are good at hiding. I stop after a few meters and introduce myself as Junior Officer Ara Lawrence and part of the team that came to rescue them. “But you can call me Ara. I’m only seventeen A-years old and still go to soch-time. I actually enjoy it—don’t tell my parents. I’ve been teaching my soch-time friends how to defend themselves. We’re having fun and my friend, Kuma, might be the smallest of our group, but she’s the fiercest. Think of a small dog with sharp pointy teeth. And—hello there.”
One of the older boys pokes his head out. Saying he’s grubby is a kindness. “Can you teach us how to fight?”
“Of course. But only when we’re back to normal. And the only way to get there is for everyone to come with me.”
“Are they going to come back?” a frightened voice calls from underneath a bush.
“No. My team stunned them and they’re all sleeping.”
A curly-haired child peeks through the branches. “For real?”
I crouch down. “For real. My team’s the best.”
The small girl scrambles out from her hiding spot and launches herself at me. Before I can blink, I’m sitting on the ground with her clutching me in a monkey hug—arms around my neck and legs around my torso.
“It’s okay,” I say. Then “Easy there. I…can’t…breathe.”
She relaxes a smidgen. Enough so I can stand and lead the others out to where my team waits near the top of the ladder. Ceridwyn is still having a meltdown on Morgan. It’s not as humorous now that I have my own barnacle. At least she weighs almost nothing. Niall’s eyebrows raise in a do-you-need-help-prying-her-off manner. I shake my head. She’s mine now. Her dark skin is covered in layers of dirt, but she smells of earth and sweat.
Morgan breaks Ceridwyn’s grip, telling her we need to move quickly. The woman pulls it together and counts the children. We learn that the looters ambushed them as soon as Dad’s robotic digger broke through the surface.
“They must have been following us,” she says. “Or maybe they read our messages.” She pushes a hunk of greasy hair from her eyes. “Does it matter? They said if we…” She pulls in a breath. “If we…followed them down into the pits, they’d…kill us. But, but…” Gesturing around at the trees, she gives us a wild look. “We couldn’t survive here much longer.”
I carry my barnacle girl down the ladder. The bigger kids don’t need help, but the little ones are carried. We assemble near the portal. Through the cameras in Pit 9 on Ruijin, we see a ring of armed security around the incoming portal. They’re aiming at the center of the pit, just waiting to shoot any looters. We didn’t have time to program all the security officers’ electromagnetic signatures into everyone’s pulse gun. So we can get stunned by friendly fire. Morgan goes first.
“Let’s hope they identify their target before shooting me,” she grumbles before stepping into the black rectangle.
It’s a sign of just how numb and exhausted the kids are that they don’t react to Morgan’s disappearance or the eerie green glow lighting the pit. Little Barnacle glances around once and reburies her face in my shoulder. Niall has my portable and is watching for Morgan’s arrival.
“I bet ten credits she gets shot,” Elese says behind him.
“I’m not taking you up on it,” Niall says. “Officer Kingston is front and center. She’s the type of yahoo that will shoot first and ask questions later.”
Morgan steps from the portal and almost gets shot. Bernardo knocks Kingston’s arm down right before she fires. Funny, Kingston doesn’t look happy to see Morgan. Maybe she fired on purpose so she won’t be revealed as a coward. Once we get the all-clear-no-one-is-going-to-stun-you sign, we portal to Ruijin. Ceridwyn goes with my mother, and the kids all go with a team member.
Niall warns us that it’s taking longer than the sixty-four seconds for each crossing. “Sixteen extra seconds for two people and it’s thirty-two seconds longer for three.”
No surprise that I take Little Barnacle, but I also escort another boy as well. He clings to my legs and I keep my arm around his thin shoulders. All these kids need lots of food.
“Hold tight,” I say, stepping into the blackness. “It’s gonna feel weird.”
As my air and the circulation to my lower leg is cut off, I wish I used different words. Something like relax, it’ll be over soon. Expelled from the blackness, we stumble into the pit. Instead of being shot, we’re surrounded by medical staff.
Little Barnacle won’t let go. She digs her fingernails into my skin when a nurse tries to pull her away. I named her well. So I end up going to the infirmary with her instead of looping back to Ulanqab. Morgan wants to bring the looters to Ruijin.
I sit in a comfortable chair. The girl still clings to me. She’d experienced a trauma and is probably an orphan. I can spend a few hours with her. Stroking her back, I tell her all kinds of silly stories about my childhood and life that may or may not be true.
“…I was backed into a corner by a roaring lion. I
was trapped and I thought he was going to eat me!”
“What happened?” she asks into my neck. Her hushed breath tickles my skin.
“He cooked me dinner instead. Which was a complete surprise. I’d no idea lions can cook.”
She pulls back to study my face. “Is that true?”
“Well if we exchange the lion for the Chief of Security, it’s mostly true.”
Little Barnacle giggles. It’s the sweetest sound. And she finally agrees to go with the nurse, but I have to promise to come visit her. I make a solemn vow to return and get a smile for my efforts. Once she leaves, I stand up. Big mistake as all my energy drains from my body. I glance at the floor, expecting there to be a puddle of it around my boots. Nothing.
Before one of the nurses realize I haven’t been examined, I skedaddle. Other than muscle aches and some minor pain, I’m fine. There’s a strange fried sensation tingling on my skin, but nothing a shower and a hot meal won’t cure. I hope.
I encounter Niall on my way to security. “Did the team transfer all the looters?” I ask.
“Yeah. But three grown men, with one of them unconscious, are a tight fit through the portal.” He squints at me. “Why aren’t you in the infirmary?”
“Little Barnacle is going to be fine. I—”
“That’s not what I mean.” He takes a breath, then says in a softer tone, “You were zapped, Mouse.”
“A glancing blow.” I try to wave it off.
But Niall grabs me and pulls me close. Ahhh. I lean against him, soaking in his warmth.
“What were you thinking?” he asks. “You can’t keep putting yourself in danger like that.”
“That’s just the thing, I’m not thinking, Niall. I’m reacting. Maybe with more experience I’ll be able to assess a situation first.” When he doesn’t say anything, I add, “It worked out.”
He sighs. “Maybe I should have called you Queen Cat.”
“Why a cat?”
“They’re supposed to have nine lives. According to my count, you used up four so far.”
Four? Yikes, no wonder he’s upset. But that would mean I’ve five left. That’s not as much of a comfort as you’d think. Besides I’m no cat. I’m a mouse. “Good for cats, but I’m Qiángdà de shŭ.”
“What’s that?”
“A mighty mouse. I’ve way more lives than some stupid cat.”
He squeezes me tighter, reminding me of Little Barnacle. “I hope so.”
I pull back, breaking away. “Come on.” I grab his hand and tug him with me.
“Where are we going?”
“To find a private washroom for a shower.”
He laughs. “I don’t think that’s possible. Too many security officers.”
And he’s right. Morgan is already in the unit I’m sharing with her and Elese. She informs us of a meeting in the conference room at fifteen hundred. I stop. The entire encounter on Ulanqab only lasted the morning? So much for our shower. Niall leaves to tell Bendix and Zaim.
I debate. I need to wash the sand and dirt out of my uniform and hair. Food is also a requirement, along with catching a few hours of sleep. The first two require effort, but the third…I eye my bunk.
“Lawrence,” Morgan barks. “Shower. Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a long hot shower, Morgan drags me and Elese to grab something to eat before reporting to the conference room. Our entire team is there along with my parents. Officers Kingston, Flynn, Bernardo, and Cole are in attendance, and half of Ruijin’s security force. Quite the crowd.
I plop in an open seat between Niall and my dad. Ruijin’s Chief of Security, Officer David Boyle, is running the meeting. He has the standard I’m-in-charge buzz cut. The short fuzz of his hair is all white.
“We’re fortunate that there is only one incoming pit per planet. It makes our job of protecting the research bases easier. However, there is the possibility of another access site for the looters on our planets.” He tilts his head at Morgan. “There’s a confirmed looter base on Planet Yulin that not only has shuttles, but weapons as well. We can’t rely on our satellites to find these as the programming may have been compromised.”
And I can no longer worm into them and fix that. I hunch down in my seat. My selfish act is going to get us all killed.
“I’ve been in discussions with the other Warrior planet chiefs,” he says. “Defending against looter attacks is not a viable long-term solution. We’ve a plan to take the fight to them.”
Oh? I straighten. Officer Boyle gives us an overview, then assigns us to teams. I’m glad I get to stay with the rest of the Yulin officers. However, the most important part of the plan is going to rely on some complex worming, which has been assigned to Beau.
We’re dismissed and, as we walk back to our units, I’m wondering if Q decided to help Beau the way it did for me. It would be truly fantastic. Yet, a part of me grieves for my lost connection, and for never being able to use the Q-net again. We’ve been so busy that I haven’t really thought about how much of my life will change without the Q-net.
Niall laces his fingers in mine. “Something wrong?”
“I’m worried about Beau.”
“Then message him. See if he needs help.”
I glance at Niall. Is he serious? “I can’t help him.”
“Have you forgotten all your worming skills?” he asks mildly.
“Well, no, but…”
“But what?”
“But I can’t do anything.”
“You can tell him what to do. You’re good at that.” Niall gives me a bright smile as if he just solved all my problems and hasn’t just insulted me.
It’s a good thing I love him or I’d strangle him. “Fine. I’ll ask. He’ll probably say no.”
“And he might say yes.”
“You’re annoying, Toad.”
“Love you, too, Mouse.”
“Are you two done?” Elese asks. “I’m gonna be sick.”
Trust Elese to ruin the moment. We still have a few hours before dinner. Morgan heads off to do something official. The guys go to their unit. When we arrive at our unit, Elese dives into her bunk for a nap. I pull out my portable and stretch out on mine. Elese is snoring in no time, but I message Beau.
2522:274: Hello Beau. We just went over Operation Strike Back. I’m either super excited or beyond terrified about the op. At this point I can’t really tell the difference. Looks like you’re going to be doing some serious deep level worming. Do you need any assistance?
While waiting for his reply, I check my messages and see that there’s a file that lists all of the Protector Class space ships that are enroute to the Warrior planets and their arrival times. I don’t remember asking for this information. Maybe Radcliff or Beau did, but why give it to me? I send the information to Radcliff in case he needs it. Soon after a message from Beau pops up.
2522:274: Hey, partner. I’ll take all the help I can get. Does this mean your sensors are working? Can you access the Q-net again?
* * *
<—Sorry, Beau. I keep trying to reach out to Q, but there’s no reply. I can give you advice if you encounter something unusual while worming.
* * *
—>Have you tried connecting the old-fashioned way?
* * *
<—The old-fashioned way?
* * *
—>Stars, girl. Yes, the old-fashioned way where you put entanglers into your ears and sit next to a terminal. You know, what the rest of us lowly humans do when we need to access the Q-net?
* * *
<—Uh, no. I haven’t tried. But Niall still can’t connect and he’s had longer to heal.
* * *
—>News flash, Ara—you’re not Niall. Get your ass to a terminal and see if it works! That’s an order.
* * *
<—Yes, sir.
I’m careful not to wake Elese as I dig into my ruck. Do I even have my tangs anymore? I could borrow Elese’s—they’ll work with anyone. It’
s the sensors in your brain that are custom-made.
I don’t find them in any of the compartments. It’s hard to believe I wouldn’t have my tangs after seven years of keeping them close. I think back to the last time I used them. In Beau’s office? Or was it in the infirmary when Niall was recovering? I pull out my black tactical pants. They have lots of pockets and, sure enough, I find my tangs in one of them.
It’s odd inserting them into my ears. The cold rubber is almost unfamiliar. I half expect them not to fit, which is ridiculous. There’s a terminal along the far wall of the unit. Reluctance drags. At first, I was excited by the idea, but now my stomach sours at the thought of it not working.
Sitting in front of the terminal, I turn on the screen. Then I entangle. Nothing happens. I grip the edge of the desk as disappointment floods me. I reach to yank my tangs out and stop. Ruijin’s security protocols query, seeking to authenticate my identification. It takes no time for me to worm past them. The flood of relief and joy is like coming home after being away on a very long trip.
I’m back!
Eighteen
2522:274
Before you get too excited, it’s not the same. I don’t have a direct mental link with Q. In fact, I don’t sense Q at all. But, I can worm. It’s like it was right before I fell asleep while entangled. My skills are still sharp, but not freakishly over the top. It’s better than not being able to connect at all! Actually, go ahead and get excited. I am!
The first thing I do is message Beau a howdy. He responds right away with the appropriate mix of I-told-you-so and your-partner-is-the-greatest comments. I don’t argue. I’m still too happy. We set up a time to worm together after dinner. Beau has to be careful as the research base on Yulin is still playing dead. Q has been keeping a few tunnels open for him. Meanwhile I don’t have to worry as much about the looters discovering my activities. Although I suspect the looters are monitoring all communications coming and going to Ruijin.
Defending the Galaxy: The Sentinels of the Galaxy Page 28