“No,” the warden said, finally making the agent halt. “They don’t have the proper clearance. I need to get them an escort to get to the inner wing.”
“Mister Rai,” the agent replied. “This is an Alliance facility?”
“Yes…”
“My agents have omega clearance?”
“Yes, but—”
“What makes you think we can’t just walk through those doors and straight into the super-max?” Sandoval said, pointing down the corridor.
“It may be an Alliance facility,” Rai replied, his tone trying to regain some strength. “It’s also a Vadne prison, sir. We pride ourselves on the security of our facility. I can get you an escort to get you into the wing if you just give me a moment to call.”
“Fine,” Sandoval said, crossing his arms and staring back at the warden.
Rai pulled his comm and spoke. He used the Vadne native tongue, growling and hissing to emphasize his meaning. After a few moments, he returned the comm to his pocket and turned back to Sandoval. The warden was not used to being ordered around by anyone, especially not a human. He pulled himself to his full height and squared his massive shoulders, dwarfing even the hulking guard.
“I have arranged for you to be escorted back to the omega facility guard station by one of your own,” Rai said. “One of the guards who brought the prisoner here three days ago. I’m afraid that’s as far as they will be able to go for now.”
“Warden?”
“Please, Agent Sandoval, don’t make me explain further,” Rai replied, his whiskers twitching. “Omega and all that, you understand.”
It seemed an eternity before the doors further up the hall opened and a pleasant-looking woman in gray stepped through. Her fellow soldier, the Vadne security guard, stood silently just inside the door while his fellow approached the group. She smiled upon seeing the group and held up her own identity badge as she approached. Sandoval flashed his own badge and stepped to the woman, meeting her halfway to the group. They spoke quietly for a moment before returning to the warden.
“Janice will do fine, Warden Rai,” Sandoval said. “Thank you.”
The woman smiled at the warden without much warmth and turned back to the helmeted guards. Together, they stepped back to the doors. The Vadne agent used the retinal scanner and let the group through. The warden stared down at the agent with pride, confident his procedures had impressed the human. For his part, Sandoval had barely moved while the group left. He finally looked back to the warden and yawned.
“Your office, Warden?”
Farthing glared at the guards he was escorting to the super-max wing. It was the one part of the plan he did not trust. Although Pearce had assured him the man could be trusted, Farthing preferred to keep Connor Jakes under a much closer watch. Jakes had convinced the captain to accept his people without question, even into allowing himself to be captured for the plan. The situation was intolerable in the best of conditions, and Farthing knew this was not the ideal plan. He would, however, follow his orders to the best of his abilities. Even if he was committing treason, he would still be Vadne and follow his honor.
Again, he used his own eyes to pass the retinal scan, growling into the vocoder at each door. It had been another provision of the plan he disagreed with. His companion, a quirky human provided by Jakes, had kept to herself and not left the secure wing once since they had entered. She refused to use her own retina patterns, even managing to avoid the scan they had used to set up their access. Farthing’s eyes had been altered temporarily by Jakes’ odd little doctor. He had been assured the effect would wear off after a few weeks, but it made his eyes itch in the meantime. They passed the final security checkpoint and entered the ring containing the access to super-max.
There was panic in the ring as soldiers were running from station to station, checking read-outs and tapping keys. Sandoval’s guards immediately took up a position near the access door. The great revolving door was locked by the automatic safety system. Farthing stepped to an empty panel and checked the display. A virulent strain of the Restallan Plague had infiltrated the air system and forced a lockdown. Technicians were racing to see how the system had let the plague through, but were having no luck. There was a countdown timer on one screen, showing the limit of the system’s ability to keep the plague contained. Farthing had been informed that if the countdown reached zero, the facility would be sanitized by lethal doses of radiation and plasma fire. At the moment it was contained, but he saw the numbers reducing faster than when he had left.
It took nearly a full minute before Jakes burst through the access doors trailing the warden behind. He began ordering the men to stand back. The warden tried to stop the agent, but the man was unstoppable in his desire to save the prisoners.
“You,” Sandoval-Jakes said, pointing to Farthing. “What’s the status of the guards stationed in the ring?”
“Lockdown procedures are in place. We received a signal from them showing they are secure and the prisoners have been locked down. Air quality is degrading, though, as the system is pumping anti-viral agents in.”
“Get my team in there,” Sandoval said to the warden. “Now!”
“We can’t do that, Agent Sandoval,” Rai said. “The system requires an exchange and we can’t risk bringing out our people.”
“How does your exchange system work?”
“A team of three or four men are placed in the doorway,” the warden began. “The door opens inside to let the team in. The relief team enters and input their idents into the system. The other team enters and the door revolves back to here. If the return team doesn’t enter the door in sixty seconds or less, the door locks down and we are unable to reopen that door for at least seventy-two hours. It’s a failsafe against an escape attempt. Three days is enough to secure the prison if there is an incident.”
“So if we send someone in to retrieve your people, I leave my people in there?” Sandoval asked. “What about the prisoners. What happens during a lockdown?”
“They should be fine,” Rai replied, looking at the door. “Automated systems deliver food and water. It’s the most secure place in the world when that door clocks down.”
“Then we’re going in,” Sandoval said, waving his team to the door. “Helmets down, full breathers. Get your doc in here in case the anti-virals aren’t working. Secure this area. I don’t want anyone here who doesn’t have to be here.”
“Wait,” Rai said, stepping to Sandoval. “Your people will be trapped if they can’t get back in time.”
“They’re trained for omega level security, Warden. If they get trapped down there with my prisoner, they’ll be fine. Now get your people to the door and have them wait.”
Rai stared at the human for a moment longer before racing to the console. He barked commands, moving his people and getting them ready. For the operation to succeed, they would need to move fast.
“Get your people ready,” Rai said. “I’m moving the door.”
The three helmeted guards moved to the door. The thick metal portal began to rotate on a smooth cushion of magnetic force. As the opening turned into view, the largest of the guards turned to look at Sandoval. The agent looked back impassively before breaking into a grin. The expression lasted only a moment and was immediately replaced with the mask of neutrality again, but it was enough. The signal had been given.
The door revolved around, revealing a cloudy interior and six guards waiting to be released. The plan had been to activate the virus during a shift change, the system locking down before the replacement crew could enter. With only the six guards to contend with, Eli Mendel felt confident the plan could succeed. It had to be timed exactly right, though.
The first three guards stepped into the portal and were revolved out of sight. The other guards with him moved away into the fog. His breather smelled of disinfectant and he wished he had showered that morning, but so far so good. It took the door a full minute to cycle back and Mendel knew they were on the clo
ck. In sixty seconds, the door would rotate back around and he needed to be on it. He watched as the second three guards revolved out of sight.
As soon as they were gone, Eli moved to the first cell. He checked the display for a condition status on the prisoner. Seeing the name, he moved on to the next cell. This one had an orange seal on the display. Eli pulled a small vial from his pocket and opened it. Twin helixes of amber fluid snaked upwards and towards the door release. After being absorbed fully into the panel, Eli moved on to the next door, repeating the procedure. As he moved away from the door, the other guards approached. Each was shedding their uniform and stripping down.
Underneath the heavy armor were two women. Each was pleasant-looking and shared the same expression. The androids had always given Eli the creeps, but they served their purpose. Holding up the small vial, he saw the twin helixes shoot from inside and merge with the pleasant looking women. He watched as the nearest one shifted her features, changing her body to that of Captain Lee Pearce. He looked strange standing naked in the steamy corridor, until he moved to the first cell. The other changed form as well and stood by the door.
It took longer than expected, and Eli could hear the revolving door open again. The red light changed to green and he watched as the heavy door slid upwards. The android stepped in, quickly stripping McGraw and giving him the uniform and helmet. Eli heard the other android repeating the procedure in Lee’s cell.
Lee emerged from the cell nearly naked. He looked furious as the android continued to dress him in the bulky suit. Although more powerful than Lee, the artificial woman had been told not to hurt him, so the operation was awkward for both. Lee looked around the hallway, trying to peer through the thick haze of anti-virals and fog.
“Where’s Chang?”
“I haven’t got time, Captain,” Eli replied, reaching around and pulling the armor around the man’s shoulder. “We’re loading up and moving out now. Get your helmet on.”
“Not without the admiral,” Lee replied as the helmet was handed to him. “That was the deal.”
“Look,” Eli shouted. “We gotta go or we’ll all be trapped in here. Captain Jakes sent the three of us in and three of us have to leave. Now get your helmet on.”
“No. I’ll find the admiral myself…”
Lee’s next words were cut off as Eli swung a meaty fist in his direction. The punch knocked Lee off his feet and against a wall. Mendel shook his head as he hurried over and secured the helmet over Pearce’s head. The android returned to Lee’s cell, changing her form to his.
“Hurry up!” Eli shouted as he picked the prone form of Lee Pearce from the floor and stepped back to the door. McGraw held a thumbs-up and started for the door, following Eli’s finger. Eli grabbed the ring on the back of Pearce’s helmet and pushed the man along towards the door. A warning klaxon had sounded, warning of the sealing of the door. Eli shoved the man into the portal and slammed his hand down on the control, thankful of the disabled cameras. The door began to revolve just as he stepped into the chamber. The last sound he heard from within was the cell doors closing again.
The three helmeted guards slumped forward as they revolved into sight. Sandoval rushed to their side, checking each as they staggered out of the chamber. The Vadne guard who had come with the prisoner helped the larger man out, while Sandoval took one of the smaller ones.
“What the hell is in your anti-viral agents, Rai?” Sandoval shouted to the warden. “What did you do to my men?”
“Nothing … there’s nothing in it that could—”
“I’m taking my men back to my ship and having my own doctors take a look,” Sandoval said, waving a finger at the Vadne warden. “If we find out your damn chemicals hurt my people, I’ll have you fired. Is that clear?”
“I assure you, Agent Sandoval, there are just sanitizing agents and medicine. It’s the standard—”
“Open the damn doors,” the human agent said. “Oh, hell, I’ll do it myself.”
Sandoval pulled his ident and waved it across the reader. Rai was shocked when the door opened, letting the guards and their commander into the outer corridor. The octopod waved a tentacle and flopped into the corridor behind them. He had not even realized the creature was in the room with them. The creature seemed to have a small pack on its bulbous head and was hurrying along behind his boss with the odd loping movements of its species. Rai hurried along behind, nearly colliding with the other Vadne and his companion, the pleasant-looking woman.
“I don’t understand,” Rai asked, confused. “How can you open these doors? They’re coded for our personnel only…”
“Do you think the Alliance would access a prison without being able to override your codes?” Sandoval said, rushing past the next two doors. “I do have clearance above you, Rai.”
“Well, yes I understand but—”
“Look, I need to get my people somewhere safe. You’ve blown this completely, Warden Rai. It looks like we aren’t going to be leaving with our prisoner anytime soon, so I will just get back to the ship and send my report. Expect a call from Alliance Security as soon as they receive it. You might want to pack up your office while you’re at it.”
Rai watched as the seven security officers breezed past the inner security checkpoint and to the outer door. Sandoval turned and glared at the warden, daring him not to open the door. Rai waved to the guard and the felinoid opened the door, letting the group out into the street beyond. He growled to himself as he thought about the human’s words. As he neared the inner security checkpoint, he picked up a data pad and pulled up Sandoval’s file. It was fully authenticated and real, but it did show the man as having been killed over six years ago. As he put the pad back down, he contemplated omega security. Since it forbade anyone from signaling the presence of the prisoner, no one else knew beyond himself and the two guards he’d come with. It was all too convenient. He would check the monitors and be sure the prisoners were still in their cells. Only then would he go back to his office to await the call. For a brief moment he contemplated moving his things into boxes…
8
Battleship Resolute
“Bastard!”
Lee Pearce leapt over the conference table, tackling Connor Jakes before the team of Corsairs could grab him. Lee had been kept in sickbay up to that point, the result of Eli Mendel’s punch and a mild sedative mixed with the anti-viral medication on the surface. In the hours since his return to the ship, Lee had little contact with the pirate. When he came completely out of the stupor, he had asked about the mission. Doctor Demsiri had called Alice and she had jogged his memory about the events in the prison. When Lee realized they hadn’t rescued Admiral Chang, he became furious, throwing off the sheet and blanket and stomping up to the conference room with Alice in tow and a hospital gown flapping behind him.
“The plan was to get all of us out,” Lee said, trying to throw punches despite Mendel pulling his arms back. “You lied to me! I should have known a pirate would have no loyalty to the man who helped give him everything.”
“Lee!” Alice shouted, trying to pull her lover from the pirate. “Stop it. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I’m going to hurt him first.”
“Get off me!”
Two legs were drawn up under the struggling form of Lee Pearce and pushed out. Lee was flung back into Eli, nearly knocking the big man over. Alice tripped back and landed in a conference chair. Connor kicked up and landed on his feet. He held up his arms in a defensive posture, but his hands were kept palms out, trying to mollify the enraged captain.
“Calm down, Lee,” Jakes said. “We did what we had to do to complete the mission. Chang is safe right where he is.”
“The hell he is! You left him behind in that prison,” Lee said, struggling against Mendel’s meaty arms. “We agreed to get both McGraw and Chang out. It was all part of the plan. Now we’ve left behind the one man who can get us all out of this.”
“We left him locked in a cell for the next th
ree days,” Jakes explained, pointing his finger to the opposite corner. “The only one we needed was McGraw, and he’s right over there.”
Lee glanced over his shoulder to see Preston McGraw curled up in a chair, trying to be as small as possible. The man looked terrified at what he was seeing. Lee stopped struggling against Mendel as Alice stood and crossed back to him. She placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm him down. After a few moments, Eli let go of Lee’s arms and let him adjust his gown, which had become twisted in the fight. Lee took a deep breath and looked back to Connor.
“We agreed to get all of us out,” Lee said, calming his voice. “When I ordered your man to get Chang, he punched me and knocked me out. That was not really part of our plan, Connor.”
“Sorry about that,” Mendel said. “I had to improvise.”
“We agreed to go after both those guys because you thought you needed them,” Connor explained. “You didn’t. The codin’ on that file was encrypted to McGraw only. It was better to get him and leave Chang behind. They won’t be able to get to him for another seventy hours anyway. We got about that long to find out what’s goin’ on. Until then, he’s in the most heavily defended place on Vadne. He’s safe, and so are we for the moment.”
Lee stopped, thinking about the safety systems on the planet. They were already in M-space, heading back to Aleinhelm to drop off Connor and his team. He had to admit the pirate was right. They had three days until the guards might realize a switch had been made. Until then, Chang was safe and away from the hands of the Alliance Security team. For the first time, he noticed Melaina Petros sitting at the table, studying the holographic display rotating slowly above the surface.
“Alright, what have we got?”
“Melaina’s been starin’ at that thing for about an hour now,” Jakes explained. “She got McGraw to open one layer of the encryption.”
“It’s amazing,” the quantum field theorist replied. “This is beyond any M-space technology I’ve ever seen. The layers of sub-quantum weaving are … astounding.”
Resolute Alliance (The War for Terra Book 6) Page 7