Sigrid leapt cat-like onto the chest of her last target. She let her momentum carry them both back. He stumbled, dropping his weapon as he fell backward onto the floor. Sigrid was quickly upon him and brought her sword straight down with all her strength, piercing the mirrored faceplate. His body shuddered under her as his arms clanged limply to the floor.
Sigrid stood and grabbed for the hilt of the katana, but the blade had penetrated deep into the floor. She tugged again, but the sword held fast. With her foot planted solidly on the soldier’s metal breastplate, Sigrid heaved and twisted the blade free.
“Uhchh…” Karen said from behind as Sigrid wiped the gore from her blade.
“Sorry.”
They hurried to open the lockers. Most of them held little more than supplies, then Karen called out as she opened one of the locked doors at the end. “Sigrid!”
Sigrid raced over; her heart pounding loudly as she entered the room. Huddled in the corner, disheveled, starved and filthy, with hands and feet bound, were Khepri and—
“Suko!” Sigrid screamed. She dropped the katana from her hands and threw herself at Suko, gathering her into her arms and placing kisses on her face and lips.
Karen carefully cut the bindings from Khepri’s wrists and ankles, then set about liberating Suko. All three girls were weeping softly—even Karen joined in with a tearful wail of emotion.
“What took you so long?” Suko said, still trying to pay back all of Sigrid’s sweet kisses.
Sigrid laughed. “You didn’t exactly leave a forwarding address.”
“I knew you’d come.”
“I’ll never leave you again. I promise.” Sigrid said, wriggling out of Suko’s warm, koala embrace with some reluctance.
Suko’s eyes fell on Karen. “Who’s this?”
“This is Ensign—er—Karen McTeer.”
Suko’s eyes narrowed at the girl somewhat suspiciously.
Sigrid swatted her on the shoulder. “She’s a friend.”
“Ooh! I’m so pleased to meet you both,” Karen chirped.
Sigrid shook herself out of her euphoria; she’d found Suko, but they were hardly out of trouble. “Where are the others? I tried to reach you on the comlink, but I couldn’t. I feared the worst.”
“They deactivated most of our implants,” Suko said. “What they couldn’t switch off…” she shivered, “…they removed. The others—”
“Mei, Petra and Leia are dead,” Khepri said.
“Lei-Fei, Tara…?” Sigrid asked, fearful of what the answer might be.
“And Christi,” Suko said. “They…did something to them. I saw what they did to Lei-Fei. They can access the Control Program. I don’t know how, but they changed her.”
“Changed—how?”
“They programmed them,” Khepri spat.
Suko looked downcast. “There’s more. Sigrid—my brother, he’s here.”
“Your brother?” Sigrid instantly recalled the message and the name—Tansho.
“He…he said we were the ones who were programmed. He said Kimura did it to us. He said they’d fix us.”
“That’s bullshit,” Khepri said.
Sigrid frowned. She thought about Lady Hitomi. Despite her feelings toward Kimura, she trusted the woman; she liked Hitomi. She couldn’t believe she would do such a thing. And Hitomi, she was like them. She’d helped her to escape and provided means to rescue Suko and the girls. She shook her head. “No way. I don’t believe it.”
“How can we be sure?”
“I’m sure.” Sigrid helped Suko to her feet. “I can’t explain now. We have to get out of here before the invasion force arrives. We need to find the young ones.”
“Invasion?” Khepri asked.
“Later.” Sigrid gathered the weapons from the fallen soldiers and handed them to Khepri and Suko.
“What about Lei-Fei and the others?” Suko asked. “We can’t leave them.”
“They’re with them now,” Khepri said. “The people who took us.”
“We’ll get the young ones first,” Sigrid decided. “We’ll get them to the ship. Then we’ll see about the rest.”
Following Sigrid’s lead, the four of them sped off toward the ore-processing facility. Mercifully, their path took them further away from the operations center, where most of the activity was. Sigrid only had to take care of two patrols on the way. Suko and Khepri looked on in amazement as Sigrid shrouded herself and took out the first batch of guards.
“No way.” Suko said as Sigrid shimmered and reappeared before them.
“I didn’t know we could do that!” Khepri said.
Sigrid winked. “I’ll get you the program.”
The processing room was a cavernous facility, filled with the massive earth-moving machines and separators that used to load the containers with their precious minerals. All the machinery lay in rusting heaps, some the victims of weapons’ fire, others from decades of neglect. Looking down from a catwalk, high above, they spotted the forty-two girls gathered in an empty ore container. The huge container had been sandblasted clean and outfitted with bedding and portable toilet facilities. The young girls were assembled in a miserable huddle. A squad of soldiers guarded them; Sigrid was relieved that they wore regular fatigues rather than the composite armor the others had worn. Unfortunately, one of the giant Mechs patrolled nearby, manned and ready. It clanked back and forth, scanning the surrounding area.
Karen let out a breathless squeak.
“What the hell is that?” Sigrid asked
“They used those on Alcyone,” Khepri said. “They took out the entire company of Marines.”
“I bagged one,” Suko said, mildly.
“How?” Sigrid was transfixed by the walking tank.
“Oh ye of little faith.”
“Suko—”
“No worries. I got this one.” Suko plucked one of the grenades from Sigrid’s belt and rolled off the catwalk, sliding silently down one of the supporting pillars.
“Suko!” Sigrid hissed after her, but it was too late.
The girls watched anxiously as Suko crept along, flitting from cover to cover behind the huge piles of ore and lumps of decaying machinery. The whole time, Sigrid kept a watchful eye over the squad of soldiers. At least they looked bored, switched off, and unaware of the girl who was busy skirting around them as she crept ever closer to the walking tank.
Suko reached the last piece of cover, but there was still fifty meters of clear ground between her and the tank.
Khepri stiffened. “She’s going to get herself killed.”
“Stay here,” Sigrid said to the other girls.
“Not you too!” Karen implored.
Sigrid winked. “I’ll be right back.“Sigrid engaged her shroud, rolled over the side and slid quietly down the cold metal pillar. She used her limited invisibility to venture closer to the squad of soldiers until she was safely behind the cover of the container. Sigrid de-shrouded and breathed a deep sigh; the process was still terribly exhausting.
Sigrid could see Suko now; she lay hidden behind a hydraulic prop, but she wasn’t yet close enough to the Mech—it would rip Suko apart if she made a run for it.
Sigrid keyed her comlink, cursing as she remembered that Suko’s had been deactivated. But, she knew Suko; they’d trained so much together and she trusted her more than anything. Suko would understand her signal.
Sigrid plucked three grenades from her belt, braced to roll out from her cover when a voice from behind stopped her.
“I know you!” the girl’s voice called.
Sigrid spun, completely stunned. Behind her stood an eleven-year-old girl. Two more of them were scrambling over the wall of the container. How the hell were they getting out…?
“Look! It’s her!” another girl called.
Sigrid cringed and shot a finger up to her lips. “Shhh!”
But the damage had been done. The soldiers had heard the commotion and were heading quickly toward her position—and so was the Mech.
“Get back!” Sigrid yelled as she rolled the grenades toward the oncoming soldiers. She dived, shielding the girls from the explosions and falling debris and the burst of gunfire that erupted behind her. More gunfire came from above. Sigrid looked up to see Karen and Khepri firing at the fleeing soldiers. The Mech had also spotted them.
“Oh, shit…” Sigrid said. With her pistol in one hand, Sigrid threw three more smoke grenades out followed by a series of flashbangs. Thick black smoke swirled around them as the shockwaves of the flashbangs echoed around the facility. All hell was breaking loose—and more of the girls were scrambling out of the container.
How on earth…?
Only three of the soldiers were still alive. Sigrid picked them up with her thermal optics and targeted them through the smoke. Three shuriken spun in swift succession from her fingers. The soldiers fell dead to the ground. The fight wasn’t over yet; the chunking of a chain gun sent her diving to ground. There was a deafening explosion followed by the protests of groaning metal and a series of loud bangs. And then it went quiet.
Sigrid was still holding her breath when the smoke finally started to clear. She had to laugh at the sight before her—Suko, standing on top of the wrecked hulk of the Mech, one hand on her hip, the other holding the gun Sigrid had given her.
“That’s two,” Suko said.
A rousing cheer ensued; the young escapees stampeded past Sigrid and crowded around the valiant Suko. Khepri received a similar greeting when she climbed down from the catwalk. They’d obviously bonded in their short time together at the Academy. Even Karen was mobbed by the excited girls.
Sigrid heaved open the heavy metal door of the container; there were still over twenty girls inside. Sigrid had to appreciate how they’d built a teetering pyramid using their bedding and three porta potties to effect their escape.
The girls gathered quickly around, shouting questions at her—was Sigrid there to save them and take them home?
She raised her hands and the girls fell silent. “I’m getting you all out of here. But you’re going to have to do exactly what I say—when I say it. Do you understand?” To a girl, each nodded in affirmative silence. Sigrid smiled. “Good. I have a ship—it’s going to be a little crowded.” Sigrid scratched her head, wondering if she could actually get them all aboard. “But we’re all getting out of here now.”
“You’ve become very masterful since you’ve been gone,” Suko teased, coming up behind her.
“Sorry—it’s just that we don’t have much time.”
Suko gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “No worries. I like it.”
* * *
Nicola Kirk slumped over the desk in the monitoring station. The defense force assigned to her was gone. Twelve ships and their crews…
The CTF troop carrier would be there soon, carrying an entire battalion of soldiers. And what did she have left? Less than half of a company for defense against so many. She had two transport shuttles in the loading bay—not enough to evacuate everyone.
She pounded her fist on the desk. And where the fuck was Tansho? The man was always disappearing. “Has anyone seen Riku?”
No one answered her. Seemed they didn’t even want to look at her.
Fuck. He was gone. She knew it. If he took that girl with him…
But she had even bigger problems.
Nicola could sense the latent panic. Things had spiraled out of control—long ago, long before the CTF had found them and ambushed their forces. Her forces were devastated. Riku was gone. And so was he. They’d all abandoned her. A cynical laugh escaped from her.
“Ma’am?” the major asked.
Nicola shook her head and composed herself. There was only one reasonable course of action, but she wasn’t sure how it would be received. “I need you to gather the girls and get them to the shuttles.”
“Uh…ma’am?”
“They’re the reason this facility exists, Major. We have to get them out, or all this…all this has been for nothing.”
The major shifted uneasily. “Uh…I’m not sure that will go over well with the troops. They’ll want a chance at those shuttles.”
Did she have to ward off a mutiny as well? “Major—”
Nicola screamed as the shot ripped a ghastly exit wound in the major’s face. He slumped to the floor looking as shocked as a dead man can.
Sara stood behind him with her gun still raised, and wearing her full suit of composite armor. “He was going to cause trouble.”
Nicola gagged at the gore covering her chest and her arms. She could feel the beads of his blood on her lips.
Sara calmly re-holstered her sidearm. “We have a new problem, ma’am. We’re under attack.”
“I know we’re under bloody attack. Don’t be stupid.”
Sara shook her head. “No. Not the CTF. It’s them—the other girls from Alcyone. They’re here. I suggest you get your people to the shuttles while there’s still time. I’ll take care of the girls.”
Nicola nodded slowly. This girl—she was so strange. They all were. “Very well. I’ll wait as long as I can. Just get them all. I’ll get Farrington and that other doctor. We still need her.”
Sara turned. “I’ll be there. Just don’t be late.”
* * *
Sigrid led the girls back up the corridor, retracing their steps to the airlock. She would have thought it nearly impossible for forty-two girls to proceed up the corridor without causing a racket, but to their credit, they all kept remarkably silent. She’d already received word from Christian that the CTF troops were landing and entering the base through the main loading bay. The two crippled destroyers were trailing slightly behind, with the larger force still days away. But their little fracas in ore-processing had clearly raised the alarm.
“Whatever you’re doing, do it fast,” Christian urged over the comlink.
“We’re on our way back to the airlock, just be ready when we get there.”
“Aye, ma’am.”
Sigrid heard a combination of screams and gunfire behind her. She desperately wanted to run back to investigate but she had to keep leading the girls forward; Suko and Khepri were back there. She had to trust them to handle whatever trouble had transpired.
Finally, they arrived at the airlock door where they’d come in. “We’re here!” she said through her comlink. Christian acknowledged; he was already on his way. “Clear a path,” Sigrid called to the girls, waving them against the wall. The girls did as they were told. Sigrid ran back to find out what had happened. The fight was already over. None of the young ones had been injured but Khepri was dragging Karen along while Suko kept watch.
Sigrid ran to her. “Karen!” Her chest was bloody and her face ashen, but her eyes were open—though not sparkling like they usually did.
“He got me,” she said, sounding more surprised than hurt. But Sigrid could see that the wound was serious.
“Christian, we’re going to need some medical assistance,” she said over the comlink.
“Affirmative. We’re already here—I’ve got Rodney fixing the emergency collar. But Sigrid…” Christian’s pause made her nerves tingle. “We can’t keep the cloak up with the collar on. They’ll know we’re here.”
“I understand. We’ll do this quickly.” She looked down worriedly at Karen, and Khepri who was still tending to her. “Take care of her.”
Turning, Sigrid ran back to the airlock. Through the window, she could see Rodney, clad in an environmental suit, working to affix the flexible collar to the outer door. She could also see her ship; not good. Everyone would know they were there. She drummed her fingers in time to the minutes dragging on as Rodney did what he did best; there was nothing Sigrid could do to speed up the process.
“Got it!” Rodney signaled.
Sigrid had the door open and was already hoisting the first of the girls into the short, flexible tube that extended to her ship. One by one, the girls scurried through the tunnel. Dragging Karen through was a bit more
awkward, but Khepri took as much care as she could.
“Go on,” Sigrid said to Suko, who was holding up the rear.
“What do you mean, go on?”
“The other girls—we can’t just leave them. And…I made a promise. I have to find Dr. Garrett.”
“Sigrid, they’re not…themselves anymore. I saw what they did to Lei-Fei. You can’t rescue them. They’ll only try to kill you.”
Sigrid’s jaw tightened. “I have to try.”
“All right, then I’m coming with you.”
“Suko, you’re hurt—half your implants are deactivated.”
Suko sealed the airlock as she stepped clear. “And you’re wasting time.”
Sigrid sighed and keyed her comlink. “Christian…get the ship out of here.”
“What? Sigrid, we’re not leaving without you.”
Sigrid couldn’t contain her frustration. “Will everyone stop arguing with me! I’m not asking you to abandon me—just get the ship safe. I can’t leave yet.”
“Sigrid…” It was Selene’s voice this time. “That base is crawling with CTF troops. I—we just thought you should know.”
“Thanks. We’ll be careful. And don’t go too far. I’ll want you on station when we’re ready.”
“We’ll be there before you can sign off. Don’t worry. And, Sigrid…good luck.”
“What’s that?” Suko asked, not having heard the exchange.
“We’re going to have some more company.”
Suko winked. “Brilliant.”
Sigrid watched the collar retract as her ship blasted away from the asteroid’s surface. She suddenly felt very, very alone. Suko grabbed her arm and gave it a squeeze. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
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