by Sarah Noffke
“Not to mention my brain,” she joked.
There was something about Pip’s light nature that made these missions easier. He took away the edge with his playfulness. She never expected to appreciate such an accomplice, but now she couldn’t imagine not having him there with them, although she was never going to tell the AI that. They wouldn’t hear the end of it.
A loud thump assaulted the top of the ship. Bailey swerved, feeling like she was flying blind, not being able to see the assault coming from overhead. All she could do was fly and dart around the larger balls of hail falling in front of the ship.
“So, Vitos,” Pip began, drawing out the Tuetian’s name. “Is it true that your kind mate while flying?”
He chirped nervously from his seat in the back. “Uhhhh…”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Lewis told him. “Please ignore Pip’s strange nature. We all do.”
“I mean, if you do, and you can’t fly…well, then…” Pip continued, undeterred.
“It’s not a requirement for the mating process, but yes, the act can be done in the air,” Vitos replied.
“Ouch, so it’s probably hard for you to get much action then, huh?” the AI asked.
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Pip, is there anything that is off-limits for you?”
“Your momma,” he answered.
“Well, that’s nice, there’s something that you respect,” Lewis stated.
Pip laughed. “Oh, not your momma, Harlowe. Tell her she left her undies at my place.”
Lewis smiled wide. “Did you say ‘undies’?”
“Do you have a place?” Bailey asked, strangely enough having found a rhythm to flying through the hailstorm all of a sudden.
“Irrelevant,” Pip chirped. “And yes. Panties. Drawers. Skivvies. Does one of those work better for you?
“I prefer ‘underthings’,” Lewis joked.
“How very proper of you,” Pip said. “And your cave is coming up on the left.”
The ice debris knocked against the bow of the Q-Ship, nearly blinding Bailey. However, now that they were closer to the surface of Pochli, she could tell that it was mostly covered in snow and ice. A mountain range ran to the stern side of the ship, all the peaks piled high with snow. To the northeast, a small, square building sat in a clearing. It was so unassuming, Bailey thought for a moment that Jack might have made a mistake. Maybe it’s an abandoned building that the Pochlians emptied when they fled south.
Lewis seemed to be struggling with the confusion, too, as he peered intently at the structure. “There’s something off about it.”
“It’s not touching the ground,” Vitos stated from behind them.
Lewis looked back at him. “You can see that far?”
“Yes, and it appears to be hovering.” He pointed.
Bailey blinked in the direction of the facility. It was hard to tell, since the building was white and so were its surroundings, but there was some sort of visual anomaly.
“That would make sense,” Lewis mused. “How better to avoid the tectonic activity?”
“Not have the facility touch the ground,” Bailey answered.
He nodded. “Exactly. But the outside of the building must be made of something incredibly tough to withstand the storms here.”
“More of Monstre Corp’s magic,” Bailey mused.
She lowered the cloaked ship, pointing it in the direction of the cave ahead. The mountain range shifted, and Bailey swung around, trying to determine what was going on. Then she realized the mountains were rumbling.
She turned to Lewis, and together they said, “Quake.”
“Glad you’re not on the ground right now,” Pip sang.
“Yeah, this place is crazy dangerous,” Bailey agreed, watching as the mountains grew still again.
“Guess what happens here after a quake?” Pip asked.
“Avalanche.” Lewis pointed at a large mountain as the snow on its peak trembled.
There was a loud crack. The snow and ice crumbled like powdered sugar, slipping down the side of the mountain, and crashing down. A cloud of white rose into the air as more snow ran off the peaks. The cave that Bailey had been headed toward was suddenly obstructed by a wall of snow.
She blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m making an executive decision. Pip you’re going to have to keep the ship hovering next to this facility. The cave won’t work.”
“What about the storm?” Lewis asked. “The ship will get hit.”
Bailey pointed to the structure, which wasn’t being pelted with hail. “The building appears fine. Let’s go find out why.”
“I’ve determined that there’s a mostly invisible dome protecting the facility,” Pip stated.
“Well, any ideas how we’re getting through it?” Bailey asked.
“Keep flying in that direction,” he ordered. “I’m working on it.”
“Keep flying?” she repeated. “Like, go straight for the protective dome and possibly ram straight into it?”
“Yep, that sounds good,” the AI answered. “Now shush. I’m doing big-kid stuff.”
Bailey looked at Lewis tentatively. They were quickly nearing the facility. She liked the idea of not having to cross this terrain on foot, but she had no idea how they’d get past an invisible dome. Now that they were nearing it, though, she could see the hail spraying off the protection—which was several yards above the top of the building—and bouncing away, gathering in piles at the bottom. Another quake rocked the land, making everything but the building shift.
“Okay, got it,” Pip said overhead.
“Got what?” Bailey asked, slowing the ship. “How are we getting past the barrier?”
“Keep flying,” he stated.
“But what’s—”
“This is a trust exercise, Lieutenant,” Pip interrupted. “You don’t need to know the how. Just trust me.”
Bailey looked at Lewis, who gave her a reassuring nod. “He’s earned it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “He was making rude jokes about your mom a little bit ago.”
Lewis laughed and pointed. “Looks like we’re about to come up on the dome.”
Bailey held her breath. From this distance, she could see the barrier, which looked like a window screen with tiny holes. She couldn’t help but slow the ship, afraid they were about to collide into it.
“Full speed ahead, Lieutenant,” Pip commanded. “We got this.”
She let out a hot breath, and sped the ship up again.
It raced through the surface of the dome, and seemed to get stuck for a moment, like when a shoe steps in gum and is momentarily slowed by the stickiness. Then the ship sped forward, like it had been released from the mess, coming to an abrupt halt over the roof of the small building.
“What was that?” Bailey asked.
“I figured out the security code that Monstre Corp’s ships use when passing through, after I made the well-educated guess that they couldn’t risk bringing down the barrier for each ship,” Pip said proudly.
“You figured it out?” Lewis questioned.
“I guessed,” Pip clarified.
“How did you do that?” Bailey asked.
“I actually put in almost ten thousand options at once. Apparently, one of them worked,” Pip stated.
“What if one of them hadn’t?” Lewis asked.
Pip laughed. “Then we would have some explaining to do when Hatch found out his ship got wrecked.”
“If you can crack security so easily, then why did we have to risk our asses for those codes for the servers?” Bailey asked.
Pip sighed. “The dome has a four-digit security code, hence ten thousand possibilities. However, the databases have a thirty-four-digit code. You can imagine that cracking that would take me quite a bit longer.”
Bailey centered the ship over the top of the building, lowering it until it was only a couple feet off the ground. “Okay, fair enough.”
“That’s what I thought. Okay, we have a
rrived at Sutra Six,” Pip stated.
“What’s Monstre Corp’s thing with sutras?” Bailey rose and grabbed her weapons.
“Maybe Vance has a strange connection to some sort of philosophy, which he then uses to propel his evil mission,” Lewis guessed.
Bailey nodded. That was the best she could think of, too. They were about to find out firsthand. She looked at Vitos, and then at Lewis. “You guys ready?”
They both nodded, pulling on thick jackets.
“I’ll keep the engine running,” Pip sang. “Don’t freeze your balls off out there.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sutra 6, Planet Pochli, Cacama System
Man, it’s bloody cold, Lewis thought. All the mucus in his nose had frozen solid as soon as the first cold blast knocked him in the face.
Bailey waited until the hatch door was lowered all the way before stepping forward. She blinked from the rush of icy wind. “Looks like we’re going to have to rappel down the side of the building.
“Riiiiiight,” Lewis said, drawing out the word. “And you do that how?”
She held up a bundle of rope. “You follow my lead.”
Vitos stepped forward and then shrank back. “Cold isn’t really a good thing for my species.”
“Well, be glad you don’t have to fly, then,” Bailey consoled. “I’ll get you guys down this building safely, promise.”
“And then we knock at the front door?” Lewis asked.
They really hadn’t discussed getting into Sutra 6; the facility had been sort of a mystery up until now.
“Oh, sure.” Bailey patted at her gun. “I’ll knock with this.”
Lewis reminded himself that there were servers in this building that held thousands of consciousness. He had no qualms with taking out those who would imprison innocent people. And that was good, because it appeared they were going to have to waste some assholes.
They strode out of the safety of the ship, and the hatch closed, allowing the craft to completely disappear. Although the cold whipped across their faces, they were safe from the pelting of hail overhead, which Lewis was grateful for. The storm hitting the dome sounded like rain beating the metal roof of the barn at Underwood Farm. It had always been a peaceful sound, but under these conditions, it had the opposite effect.
“The good news is that the cameras are all pointed at the ground, so our cover isn’t blown yet.” Bailey pointed her weapon at the corner of the building and fired once, the silencer muffling the sound.
The security camera perched at the edge of the building exploded. Taking her lead, Lewis aimed his own weapon at the adjacent corner and fired. Another camera exploded.
“That should be good,” Bailey decided, strolling forward. “We’ll go down on this side. It’s where I spied an entrance.”
Lewis watched as Bailey secured the rope to the side of the building, anchoring it to a reinforced beam. She checked it several times.
“Shouldn’t we have a harness or something?” he asked.
Bailey smiled mischievously. “We should, but I left mine at home.” She looped the rope under her leg and around one shoulder, holding the tail behind her back, and the front of the rope with her other hand. “We’re using the old-school method.”
“Oh…I’m not so sure about this.” Vitos backed up, shaking his head.
Bailey laughed. “It’s pretty safe, as long as you don’t lose your grip. But there’s definitely no real safety.”
Vitos slung off his coat, tossing it over the side of the building. His wings beat rapidly.
“What are you doing?” Lewis asked.
“I’m going to take my chances with flying,” he answered. “I’ve got roughly a minute before my wings freeze up, so I’ll see you two at the bottom.”
“But I thought you weren’t good at flying,” Lewis asked.
“I’m not good at going up or forward, but I’m excellent at going down,” Vitos said with a laugh. “I’m an expert at it.”
He didn’t even give them a last look as he stepped over the side of the building. He immediately dropped, and Lewis rushed forward in fear. A moment later, the alien rose up, his wings keeping him afloat. He looked over his shoulder, a relieved smile on his face. Then he lurched forward, dropping several feet.
“Get to the ground already,” Bailey ordered in a hush.
Vitos complied, ungracefully dropping several inches at once a few times, until he’d reached the ground. He landed on the frozen terrain with a thud, falling to his hands and knees.
Bailey turned to Lewis. “Okay, my turn and then you. It’s pretty easy. Watch what I do, and you’ll be fine.”
Once on the ground, the strangeness Sutra 6 had given off from a distance was explained. It did, in fact, hover a couple of feet off the ground. Lewis assumed that it was due to the same gravitic engines that Starboards Corp used in the base of their headquarters. However, since the building only needed to be held aloft a short height, it didn’t need the K-factor balloon.
“We better get in there fast before another tremor hits,” Bailey said, gesturing to the building.
The guys nodded.
Bailey had definitely made rappelling look easy. Lewis had nearly died upon heaving himself over the side of the building, but caught himself. By the time he was halfway down the side of Sutra 6, he thought he had the hang of it.
He was wrong, and crashed down on the hard ice.
“You all right?” Bailey asked, rushing over to him.
He rubbed his behind where he’d landed on it. It wasn’t a long fall, so he was fine, although his ego was injured. “I’m okay.”
“Let’s get moving.” She pointed to a nondescript door. “There’s the entrance. Looks like we need a security badge or code to get in. Pip, any help there?”
“Yes, I can give you roughly ten thousand codes to try,” Pip answered matter-of-factly over the comm.
Bailey shook her head, pulling her gun from her holster. “Nevermind. That will take too long.” She nodded to the security panel, which was covered in a clear, protective shield.
Lewis strode forward and popped the cover up. The panel included a keypad and an access reader.
When he’d backed off, Bailey lifted her gun, giving Lewis a sideways smile. “I think they are going to know we’re here after this.”
He nodded, pulling up his gun. Vitos did the same at his back. “I’m ready for that,” the detective assured her.
She fired at the panel, and sparks shot from it. Then the door clicked, granting them access. That was the thing about these high security buildings; they always had an override. Hatch had taught them that. It was the simple solutions that worked best.
Bailey pulled the door back, and Lewis was astounded at how simple the next section of the building was. Yes, it was unsurprisingly a white floor accompanied by white walls. However, it was furnished like the trailer on a construction site. There was a small desk in the corner, and a television overhead playing reruns of an Earth show. He thought it might be ‘I Love Lucy’.
The smell of Precious Galaxy Coffee was strong in the air. A cup sat on the desk, steam wafting up from its surface. On the other side of the room was a row of file drawers, their surface cluttered with odds and ends.
Footsteps raced from the hallway on the other side of the rectangular room. “What’s going on?” a man yelled.
He was barely in view when Bailey lifted her gun and shot once. The man flew backward from the attack, hitting the floor and smearing blood on the ground as he traveled.
They quickly checked the small room. It was clear.
Bailey slid up against the wall to the right, and Lewis and Vitos went to the left. When they reached the end, Bailey chanced a look around the corner. Gunshots streaked close by their heads.
Lewis changed the settings on his watch, turning it into a mirror and angling it so he could see. There were two shooters: one low on the right, and one low on the left. He signaled to Bailey, and she nodded. He checke
d the hallway closest to him. It was clear.
He covered Bailey as she shot at the two shooters, and after one volley, she had them both down.
The area suddenly felt too silent, after the rapid gunfire.
“I say we split up,” Bailey whispered. She indicated to the right. “I’ll go this way and search for the servers. You two go that way and stay on the comm.”
Lewis looked down the long, dark hallway that led to who knew what. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but they had limited time and a lot to accomplish. “Okay, but let us know if you find the servers. We’ll do the same.”
Bailey made to nod, but instead her head rotated in a circle, like she’d changed her mind. She withdrew a few of the BCW, the bubble cube wall, devices from her pocket. “Take these, they might be helpful in a pinch. But in most cases, shoot first and ask questions later.”
Lewis took the devices with a wink. “Be careful yourself. You might be a badass, but you’re still human.”
Vitos coughed discreetly. “Which makes me what? A god?”
Lewis laughed, motioning for the Tuetian to follow him. “A giant fly on the wall.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sutra 6, Planet Pochli, Cacama System
“Do you think the baby will take after me?” Pip asked over the comm.
Bailey halted, an eyebrow arching. She stared down the hallway, listening for noise. “Baby?” she whispered.
“Oh, don’t pretend,” Pip fired. “I overhead you and the detective talking about Liesel. I only pretended I didn’t get the gist. I’m clever like that.”
“I’m kind of busy right now,” she reminded him, sliding up against a wall and checking around the corner. Where is everyone? She expected more people in this facility.
Behind her, she heard a small click. Spinning around, she caught sight of a man stepping into the hallway on the far side. She fired once, and the guy fell to the ground.
“You know, you do remind me of her,” Pip stated, not at all sympathetic to Bailey’s situation of trying to be covert.
“Who?” she asked impatiently, striding over to the fallen man’s body to check the room he exited.