by Jake Macklem
The door opened again and two guards shoved in an enormous one-armed man, his wrist chained securely to his waist, ankles shackled together, a thick black bag pulled over his head and drawn tight around his neck. One guard said, “Stop,” and the massive man did. The guard unlocked his handcuff.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why am I here?”
The guard grabbed the black bag and ripped it from the prisoner’s head and jumped back slamming the door shut. The prisoner stepped to the door and shouted, “What in the Verse is going on?” He slammed his shoulder into the reinforced door.
“Hey, Mick.” Her voice cracked.
Slowly he turned, his face wide and blank, drained of blood as though he had heard a ghost. His temples had greyed more, and he seemed thicker, like he was stronger from being in prison, so much larger than she remembered. His eyes lit up in bright excitement when they settled on Ace. A grin of joy and pride grew across his face as he took in the woman that stood before him. “What are you doin’ here kid!” She rushed to him and he scooped her up in his one arm, dwarfing her with his giant bulk. She wrapped her arms around him in a powerful hug.
I don’t know if I ever felt so happy. I know I haven’t since.
She felt the tears streaming down her face and felt the shaking sobs of the giant man who held her. His knees gave in to the shaking and he dropped to the ground, letting her stand but refusing to let go. “I never thought I would see you again. I’ve missed you, Ace.”
“I’ve missed you too, Mick.” She pressed her face into his chest and felt his pounding heart.
“What are you doing here? What’d they get you for?”
“I’m not a prisoner. I got permission to see you,” she explained between gasps.
Mick laughed. “Some trick. Shonda’s been trying to see me since the day I got arrested. What happened to you? I had Shonda look, but she couldn’t find you.”
“I was sent to the Hart School for Young Girls. Spacer prep school.”
Mick’s eyes twinkled. “You going to space?”
Ace shook her head. “No. I joined the Sol military.”
“You’re a soldier? You’re getting off Earth?”
“I’m here to bust you out, Mick.” Ace beamed.
Mick’s face faltered and the happiness vanished. “What?”
“Look, I mapped the path and I have the warden’s key card, don’t ask me how I got it. Just stay close behind me. We’ll fight the few clowns they have guarding the shuttle and we’ll…”
“No, Ace. No.” Mick held her at arm-length, his hand on her shoulder. “This is a bad idea. This will get you killed.”
“No, Mick, you don’t know what I can do now. We can escape!”
“And then what, kid? You run for the rest of your life? I ain’t gonna go for that, Ace.”
“But…” Her eyes started to water, a second round of tears beginning to well up.
“Ace, I can’t risk you. You are too important.” He smiled. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah.” Ace smiled.
“More than I can ever express.” He pulled her close and cradled her against his chest. They stayed like that for a few long moments, losing themselves in this singular moment of happiness and comfort before the gravity of the situation pulled them back. “How long is your contract?”
“Just finished training. Getting deployed soon. Four more years.”
“Really? I have three and a half left if everything goes well. What do you say we meet up and float through the Verse together when we’re both free again?”
Ace’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “I’d like that a lot, Mick.”
“Yeah me too. So, when you’re done, you come get me from Earth and we’ll go visit Rosetta Station.”
I’m gonna make it to Earth.
&
Ace heard muted shouts through the ringing in her ears. Get up. She lifted her heavy body—everything hurt. I’m alive. Touching her ear, she felt warm liquid and looked at the blood on her fingertips. She tried to gather her senses. How long was I out? Is Shaw still alive?
A thud vibrated through the floor. Shaw just blocked the second tunnel. I gotta move. Get up! Reaching into the depths of her soul, she grasped at the forever-burning white light within and touched the power of her higher self. I’m getting off this moon.
Beams of light flashed down the tunnel, searching through the thick smoke and dust floating in the air. A few pirates rushed in her direction, unaware that she was in there in the smoke, laying on the ground. She waited until they were close, then leaped up and thrust her open palm strike into the throat of the pirate on her right. Stepping between them she brought her knee into the thigh of the second pirate. As he stumbled, Ace grabbed his weapon, spun it around, and pulled it toward her, forcing the pirate to pull the trigger; scattershot tore through his thigh meat, ripping it to shreds. The pirate fell to the ground screaming.
Spinning the shotgun into a proper firing position, Ace smashed the hot barrel into the pirate’s face, knocking him unconscious. She pumped the next round into the chamber, spun around, and drove the heel of her boot into the skull of the first pirate, dropping him. Still hidden in dense smoke, she reached down, picked up the full backpack, and started walking to the entrance of the cave.
26: Remy
Remy stood near the cave entrance with his two remaining men. The rest of the crew had just gone down the tunnel. He could not make out the words, but he heard Mr. Vargi shouting orders.
The spiders. Way worse than the lizards. They got a bunch of my people last time too. He heard a single shot fired, then another, then rapid gunfire erupted. The familiar crack-crack of Mr. Vargi’s big auto-started but was cut short.
Remy jumped at the boom of an explosion and felt the ground rumbling. A plume of dust and smoke billowed from the cave. His mouth went dry. Mr. Vargi? He dug through his coat for his radio. “Mr. Vargi. What’s going on? I hope you have the sh… the situation under control. Mr. Vargi?” The radio popped and crackled but no one answered. He waved at his two men and yelled, “Get down there and find out what just happened!”
The two shooters seemed reluctant, each waiting for the other to move first. When they saw the captain caressing the handle of his plasma pistol, they gave each other reassuring grunts and disappeared into the dust-filled entrance. Their coughs followed them, vanishing into the tunnel.
This can’t be happening. We’re just picking up my stuff! Remy started pacing back and forth. Three steps and spin. Three steps and spin. What’s taking them so long! He stopped and hopped a little as he shouted, “Report please! Anyone? I want a report right now!” What is taking so long? He started toward the cave then stopped.
He flinched when a shotgun bang sounded closer than the other gunfire. A moment later a second blast echoed, then silence again. A cold chill ran up his spine. I gotta get out of here! He turned and sprinted back toward the ship and up the loading ramp. He was out of breath as he leaned against the wall and hit the all-ship commlink button. “Get to the loading bay!”
He scrambled to the armory and entered the code on the keypad lock. Inside, he flipped the power cells on; six combat robots lit up as their systems came to life. Grabbing the control-mic: “Follow me!” Remy walked toward the entrance of the loading bay, the six armored bots clomping behind.
From the cave entrance, through the fading dust and smoke, a person appeared. As they moved forward, he could see by the silhouette that it was a woman. Most definitely a woman. And tiny, just about a meter and a half. His brain seemed to stop functioning. Am I really seeing this?
In her left hand she carried a backpack, in her right, a shotgun rested over her shoulder. She wore some kind of primitive clothing; a skirt, and a long-sleeved shirt with an exposed midriff, all made from what looked like the skin of the lizard monsters that lived here. Vibrant red hair stood in contrast to the muted red dirt of the moon. She sauntered forward, her hips swaying with confidence, each step plante
d firmly, her eyes locked on the captain.
“A redheaded angel of death,” Remy whispered in awe. Swallowing, he lifted the controller mic and spoke. “Single humanoid target approximately one hundred meters sector one. Find and track the target.” In perfect unison, the six bots swept the area with their sensors. As the weapon systems locked onto Ace, with a mechanical whine, they extended their arms while mounted guns shifted into position. Lowering the command-mic, Remy took a step forward. “I suggest you stop right there,” his voice cracked a little.
The angel stopped and dropped the backpack then repositioned the shotgun, holding it in front of her in both hands like she was offering it to him. “Hey,” she said flatly. “Those Gen4 Warbots? You know those are outlawed, right? Even with the safety protocols.”
Remy struggled to understand. “Wha—” I sent most of the crew into that cave, including Mr. Vargi, who is the baddest mother-shanker I’ve ever known. “Bu…” Over twenty-five people go in and this tiny girl walks out alone? “Who are you?” His voice cracked again. It had to be the dust.
“Ace,” she responded casually. “You the captain?”
The audacity of this woman. I’m the one asking questions! “I am the one…”
“Then those shanksticks,” she interrupted, “trapped in the cave… those are your men?” She shifted her weight as she asked.
Trapped in the cave! My crew might be trapped but I have the warbots! “My crew…”
“Thought so,” she cut him off again. “There’s a good chance most of them are still alive. Once I get back to Sol, I’ll send the IPD to pick you guys up.” She had lowered the shotgun to her waist but still held it sideways in both hands, completely relaxed.
Remy felt the heat of his rage build, choking him. This insufferable little girl needs to die! He lifted the controller mic to his mouth, but his arm suddenly jerked away, violently spinning his body along with it.
His eyes went wide as he saw his hand fall to the ground, still holding the mic. A moment later he felt the sharp agony and fell to the ground himself. She can shoot bullets from her eyes!
He tore his eyes from his ragged stump and searched the area for his missing appendage. Rolling toward his hand, Remy left a trail of blood behind him. He grabbed at the mic and had to push his own dismembered fingers down to mash the com button. “Eliminate the target!” His voice cracked but was too terrified to care.
When the bots opened fire, Remy rolled to his feet and leaped for cover behind the loading bay wall. Peeking around the corner, he saw the angel on the move, sprinting to the west, puffs of smoke from ricocheting bullets chasing after her. Her backpack still lay on the ground. She’s so fast!
A high-caliber rifle shot rang out and the head of the Number One warbot vanished, sheered clean from the body. Sniper! A strange relief washed over him. She can’t shoot bullets from her eyes! Relief vanished when the number two bot fell, spitting sparks and oozing oil from the large hole gaping in its torso. There IS a sniper! He pulled the mic out of his detached hand, stuffed the awful body part into his pocket, and painfully shoved the bloody wound into the folds of his shirt, trying to slow the bleeding.
“Bots, take cover!” Remy ordered. “Locate and target everything outside the ship!” The warbots started moving, each in a separate direction. Numbers Three and Six went toward the loading bay walls to flank the opening, locking down the kill zone. Numbers Four and Five advanced down the ramp and engaged their jet jumpers to blast fifteen meters into the air. When number Five reached the apex of its leap its cranium piece opened and produced a pulse laser that scanned in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle. It spoke in a mechanized voice, “Target acquired.” A moment later a smoky black trail streaked across the sky toward the hovering bot; it exploded in a fireball, raining metal pieces in all directions.
Remy felt like he was sinking into the iron moon as he realized the weapon the sniper was using was his own SolCorp Talon.50 with an attachable missile targeting system. I never even got to kill anyone with it. A cascade of debris and blasted circuitry fell onto the ramp of the ship.
The angel jumped behind a loader for cover and it absorbed the bullets meant for her. Number Four landed on the loader and the angel popped up. Her first shot blasted its leg out and the machine fell over to the ground. Her second shot blasted a hole in its head.
This can’t be happening! I only have two… Another shot rang out and the Number Three warbot fell to the deck in pieces. “No!”
Number Six reached cover and repositioned, aiming its left arm canon out of the opening. Its mechanized voice sounded tinny: “Seeking target!”
“Shank!” Remy looked out over the chaos outside his ship. He could not see the sniper or the angel. “I’m not going to die here!” Struggling to his feet, he thoughtlessly tried to use his missing hand and screamed in pain as he left a bloody streak on the deck. Trying again, he stood and ran toward the ship’s thick-walled armory.
Ace sprinted from the bullet-riddled loader and bound up the ships loading ramp. Her STAR training had taught her an unusual tactic; when the warbot aimed at her, she threw the shotgun aside.
“Unarmed non-target.” Number Six declared in a mechanical voice.
“No!” Remy shouted into the command-mic. “Disengage unarmed safety protocols!” His dead hand tumbled out of his pocket as he awkwardly fumbled for his plasma pistol.
Adjusting to its new parameters, Number Six attempted to re-acquire its target, but too late. The angel leaped at the machine; grabbing its arm, she tucked her legs under her and used the momentum to spin around the warbot’s arm—a trick she learned on the uneven bars. Swinging up, she released her grip and flew into the air, flipping to land on the bot’s shoulders, her feet on either side of its cranium.
Remy watched in slack-jawed astonishment. How is that even possible?
She grabbed the metal hanging around her neck and with both hands she drove her twisted spike into the delicate scanner, piercing the glass and crushing the processing core. The warbot fell over with a grinding whir of ruined components and the angel stepped off as it crashed to the deck.
Remy stepped backward toward the armory, his hand shaking as he aimed at her. “What the shank are you!” He shot his pistol, the blasts going wide. “Stay away from me!”
The lift slid open. T’toli and Getha. Finally. With cheetah-like speed, the O’rix rushed to Remy, blasting her laser pistol at the angel. Behind her, Getha leaned against the lift wall and provided cover fire, forcing Ace to retreat.
Pulling the captain’s unwounded arm over her shoulders, the O’rix helped Remy to the armory. “What is happening!” She asked. She fired her pistol in Ace’s general direction as Getha sprinted to catch up to his comrades.
“We’ve been boarded!” Remy shouted over her gunfire. “The crew is trapped in the cave and the warbots are destroyed.”
“Is it a trap? How many are there?” T’toli demanded as they stumbled past the metal walls of the armory.
“It’s that woman… and a sniper,” Remy revealed as he collapsed on one of the bench seats.
T’toli’s face went slack. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’ve never seen anyone move like her! She took down a warbot with a little chunk of scrap metal! And the sniper shot my hand off!” Remy showed her his bloodied stump, flailing a bloody spray at her for emphasis.
From where he had taken cover behind the door frame, Getha stared at Remy. “What’s the plan?”
“Help the Captain.” T’toli’s eyes narrowed as she stood up. “I will go and deal with this woman.” Laser pistol in hand, she sprinted past the Zontra into the cargo bay.
T’toli will kill the angel… or at least buy me time. Remy groaned in pain. “Will you hurry up and give me a nanoshot? We gotta go!”
Getha grabbed the closest medkit and calmly searched for the right hypo.
T’toli will take care of it.
27: Cam
Watching through the scope, Cam
saw Ace ride the sixth warbot to the ground. She killed a warbot with a metal spike. Unreal. He watched her dodge plasma blasts and laser beams as she rushed to cover. It’s time to move. Cam got up to a kneeling position and started to break down the sniper rifle to repack it in its carrying bag. A moment later the hairs on his neck stood on end. He stopped moving and slowly turned to look down the long, slanted slope. Less than twenty meters away, stalking up the giant stone hill above the swaying red grass, the Tree-knocker stopped and staring each other down.
Without moving his head, Cam darted his eyes around, marking the location of his hat, rifle, and backpack. I was hoping to keep the Talon 50, but that might not be prudent. “Easy there, big fella. No need for us to…”
The Tree-knocker lunged, covering half the distance in a single bound.
Cam was already running. “Damn it!” He snagged his hat and his rifle in one hand and his pack with the other, while he sprinted past a massive boulder on the edge of a cliff. Sliding feet first, he kicked a smaller stone over the edge, his coiled rope trailing behind it, the other end anchored to the boulder. He frantically stretched for the rope with his free hand, but it was out of reach.
As he rolled over the edge of the cliff, he felt the thud of the Tree-knocker landing, its poisonous tongue just missing him. A claw swiped at the empty space he had just occupied, and his fingertips just managed to catch the rope as he plummeted to the cave entrance ten meters below. With the speed of his fall, he knew he was in trouble. His fingers tightened on the rope. Gwen!
The rope stopped with a vicious jerk, sending an odd, sharp sensation through his hand and yanking his backpack loose; it fell to the ground, dragging his gun with it. He slammed into the ground on top of the pack, the air hammered from his lungs.
Far above, the Tree-knocker glared over the edge, swaying in place, searching for a way down. With a roar, the monster spun and vanished from sight.