Erik trembled but nodded.
Whitewolf saw a hummer approach from the direction Evant had gone.
“I need you to get the device and bring it to us,” Beathabane continued. “If we have it, we can access Cruelthor’s plans for that base and find a way to stop him. This could mean saving hundreds, possibly thousands of lives.”
Evant drove the hummer onto the end of the dock and yelled through the passenger window. “I sent a transmission to the Underground. They have soldiers not far up the shoreline, and they’re sending a squad to rescue the colonists. The Dominion will get wind of this pretty quick. We have to go!”
“They’ll slay us all!” Erik screeched.
With a yank, Beathabane pulled Erik to look into his eyes again, and he spoke sternly. “We need that device! If you stay on your own, Cruelthor will slay you whether you help us or not, so you might as well help us. Get the device ASAP and leave before the Dominion realizes you were there. If you try to weasel your way back in, they’ll slay you. You know they sent those wraiths after you – that’s how serious they are. The Dominion is done with you, Erik. If you want to live, get us that password-lock. As soon as you get it, send me a transmission on where to meet. Then we can protect you. Do you understand me?”
Erik nodded vigorously as Beathabane released him. “I’ll get the device. Yes, I’ll do it. I’ll do it right now.” He took off at a dead run across the port.
Whitewolf gawked at the Hood leader. He’d seen a look in Beathabane’s eye that he’d often seen in his sister’s gaze.
No way, he thought.
“You’re a telepath,” he said in surprise. “You got into his head and convinced him to do this, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Beathabane answered with a single nod. “I have the gift, although I often wish I was simply a MOB with strength like my brother. Do you think less of me?”
Again thankful for his facemask, Whitewolf had to smile at their strangely similar family situations. “No. No, I don’t.”
Beathabane held his hood against a gust of wind. “I have an enormous favor to ask of you, Whitewolf. I must return to the Mainland as soon as possible with Evant. The Dominion will learn of my presence here as soon as the colonists are rescued. We’re not the only ones with informants – my twin has as many in the Underground as we have in the Dominion. The colonists will probably tell the rebel soldiers I was among them, and some double agent operative is bound to have his ears tuned for news of me. Evant and I must leave immediately.” He walked to the hummer.
Whitewolf followed. “What’s the favor?”
“I need you to give a message to your Leader. She knows Erik from her time in the Dominion Youth – he told me as much. Since I can’t stay, she should be the one to meet him. Tell her to recover the password-lock device from Erik and get him away from the Dominion like I promised.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
Beathabane opened the hummer door and stood with one leg inside. “Evant will send you a transmission as soon as we hear from Erik, and we’ll let you know where to rendezvous with him. It sounds like he’ll try to get it this morning, so your Leader will have to be quick.”
“Okay. How do you want us to get the password-lock to you? We could bring it to the Mainland, I suppose…”
“No.” Beathabane smiled sadly. “Let my sister keep it. She’ll put it to good use.”
Whitewolf took a breath. “This could be huge. Are you sure you don’t want-”
The telepath chuckled. “The credit won’t do me any good. The important thing is that we use this device to hurt the Dominion. You’re right that this could be huge. But I can’t be here for this mission.” He smiled again. “This is my sister’s Continent to defend. Please, tell her I’m-”
The noise of a large vehicle reverberated over the port. Lights swung over them. Whitewolf looked back and saw an Underground transport truck cross through a lane.
“Let’s go!” Evant pulled Beathabane into the hummer.
Beathabane pulled his door closed behind him, and they sped away in the opposite direction from the approaching truck.
Whitewolf ran for his own speeder and climbed in, slamming the door shut just as the Underground truck pulled along the docks. Soldiers piled out and unloaded watercraft along the docks.
I can’t stay to help, he thought. There’s no time. Hopefully they can save the colonists. As for me…
He turned the speeder online and didn’t wait to see if the Underground soldiers noticed him. With only a glance in his mirror, Whitewolf tore away from the docks and headed for the main road. He was still on a rush of adrenaline.
Beathabane’s right, he thought. We could save thousands of lives! Get the password-lock device, steal the plans, then maybe take out the new factor base! And who knows what else the password-lock might access? If it’s tied to files on the DRK…
Whitewolf felt a chill as he realized the significance of what he’d started. “Holy shit. I’ve found how to fulfill our Warrior mission.”
He accelerated down the streets and sped to the main highway leading south.
“Eva,” he called to the speeder’s link with the AI.
“Yes, Whitewolf?”
“Is Loree back at the base yet?”
“No, Whitewolf.”
“Well, when she gets back, don’t let her leave. And if a transmission comes in, make sure someone answers.”
“Yes, Whitewolf.”
Again, Whitewolf’s trip took about an hour. Finally driving into the base’s secret garage entrance, he skidded the speeder to a stop in its parking place. He took a breath, pulled off his facemask at last, and jumped out to run and find his partners.
21
“Time to get to work”
“Well, I’d definitely say Whitewolf went through his initiation last night, Tig! Now it’s your turn!”
Morning sunlight illuminated the road as a bug splattered against her helmet’s visor. Alex – Tigris now – closed her eyes and held on as Bullseye’s new pace bike screamed along the highway’s rail.
They were headed north, to Capital City. Tigris wasn’t a fan of the Warrior Leader’s approach to travel, and she clung to Bullseye’s back as they swerved along the twists of the highway’s rail. They both wore their special black suits and bicycle helmets, and the added weight of her suit’s armor helped Tigris keep her seat. She wasn’t used to her suit yet. Zaak would’ve said she was unnecessarily worried about trivialities.
Bullseye’s helmet turned as she yelled over her shoulder again. “Try to relax, Tig!”
When Whitewolf returned to the base earlier that morning, he’d told them about his encounter with Evant, Beathabane, and the informant, Erik. Even Tigris had seen the opportunity presented to them. If they could destroy the factor base, it’d be a significant blow to the Dominion.
Tigris had her own reasons for wanting to stop the Dominion in this regard. She’d grown a strong affinity toward these un-factors who returned through the portal. If it meant saving these people, Tigris would do whatever she could to help with this mission. The other three Warriors were eager to begin their work, and in this particular matter even Tigris shared their enthusiasm.
Evant hadn’t yet sent the transmission with Erik’s rendezvous location, but Bullseye reasoned he’d want to meet in the capital. Therefore, she’d decided to get a head start and leave immediately, despite the fact that she and Rave had only just returned from their night-long journey.
I wish we could teleport there, thought Tigris. That’d be the quickest way – using Bullseye’s memories of the capital to teleport us there. But we don’t know where to rendezvous yet. We can’t exactly wander around Capital City in our Warrior suits without drawing attention.
“Rave,” Bullseye said into the pace bike’s transmitter, “we’re almost to the city’s perimeter. How’s that hack coming?”
Tigris tapped Bullseye’s shoulder before grabbing back ahold. “Why didn’t we just take a Domi
nion speeder like Ry… I mean, like Whitewolf did? Security doesn’t stop speeders. We’d get there faster too, wouldn’t we?”
“Yeah, but we’d scare Erik away if we showed up at the rendezvous in a speeder. He’d think we were operatives.”
That was a stupid question, thought Tigris. Of course we can’t scare off the informant. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and follow along.
“Evant sent the transmission twenty minutes ago,” said Rave through the pace bike’s transmitter. “Whitewolf was sleeping, and I… Well, I didn’t get it until now. The rendezvous is in the industrial section of the capital, in a block of abandoned warehouses. I’m sending you the address.” The decoder on the pace bike unscrambled the signal’s message.
“Got it.” Bullseye hit a button and locked the address on the screen between the handlebars. “Did Erik give Evant a time?”
Rave wavered. “Uh, let’s just say it’s a good thing you left early.” A second later, the time appeared in the corner of the screen.
Bullseye yelled at him rather harshly before accelerating.
Tigris ducked in fright as the pace bike entered a tunnel. For the hundredth time since she’d climbed onto the bike, she wondered what awaited them. If the informant had been caught when he returned to his compound, Dominion operatives or drones could be waiting for them.
Nervous, Tigris chewed her lip.
But that’s why I’m here, she thought. Bullseye’s perfectly capable of getting the password-lock on her own, but I’m here because my telepathy will detect a trap. The minute anything passes through Erik’s mind that isn’t safe, I’ll know. Bullseye’s right; it’s my turn to prove myself.
Breaking up Tigris’s thoughts, Bullseye slowed the pace bike. The highway’s rail met a security station blocking the road into Capital City. Magnetic locks held the bike so they couldn’t continue, and the women rested their stiff legs on the plate of metal beneath them.
Bullseye looked up at the security drone through her helmet. “We’re operatives returning to the Capitol from an assignment. No ID tags. Access code AA458BFRN-4.”
The drone typed this code into the console for verification.
Through their mind link, Tigris didn’t need to meet Bullseye’s gaze as she asked, “Do you think Rave’s hack went through in time? What do we do if the drone catches us?”
Bullseye’s helmet turned slightly in answer, and Tigris read her mind to know that Bullseye thought her squirmy behavior would tip off even the drone. Tigris forced herself to sit still as Bullseye was doing, and Bullseye’s mind sent waves of appreciation.
Soon the drone released the magnetic locks, sending them on their way. Bullseye hit the accelerator and continued down the main road.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Tigris asked as they sped into the capital’s outskirts.
“Yep. I grew up here, remember?”
Bullseye turned onto a side street. The buildings here were impressive, but this wasn’t surprising. This was Tigris’s first trip to Capital City, but everyone knew Cruelthor kept things tidy in his region and in his capital especially. The many levels of traffic above filled the air with exhaust, but filters hovering in the air streets cleaned up the smog. Pedestrians hurried across the ground streets. There were few vehicles at ground level, but Dominion speeders rolled by on patrol. Bullseye drove to avoid them.
After more turns than Tigris could keep track of, they arrived at a block of warehouses. Tigris noted this industrial section wasn’t nearly as well-maintained as the more fashionable parts of the city. Here, the buildings were rusted, debris cluttered the alleyways, and sunlight fought its way to the streets through the many shadows created by the condemned warehouses.
Bullseye pulled the pace bike to the curb and kicked down the brace. Dismounting, she took off her helmet and adjusted the facemask that started around her neck. Bullseye’s was by far the simplest of the four Warriors’ custom suits – she needed to be able to dematerialize without worrying about extra material. The sleek, black fabric covered her entire body with only a thin layer of armor built in, and her gloves and boots were simple and light. Her headgear hung like a hood when it wasn’t over her face. She was the only Warrior without an eye shield, again because it was tricky to dematerialize. She wore a holster strapped to each leg, and a strap down the middle of her back supported another holster.
Tigris also removed her helmet, and as she did so she noticed that her suit was much more armor-covered than Bullseye’s so as to protect her more delicate frame. Tigris’s black suit had an eye shield, armor, and belt like that of the male Warriors. Since she’d never be a soldier like the rest of them, she only carried a single handgun holstered to her side.
When ready, the Warrior pair walked to the warehouse nearest them. Bullseye gave the door a yank but found it bolted shut from inside. They looked around for another entry. The few windows of the rusting exterior were too high and barred. Crates and broken canisters lined the warehouse’s length, and the Warrior women walked along this side to find another entrance. Here, they found a sliding door.
Bullseye pulled the handle and slid this door open. “Hmm.”
“What?”
Bullseye leaned to inspect the lock. She adjusted her glove to pick at it. “Someone beat us here. This lock’s been destroyed. Keep your mind open.” She retrieved a handgun from her left holster, then stepped inside.
Tigris drew her solitary weapon and followed.
The interior of the warehouse held only a few large crates scattered about the open room. The high windows let in great streams of sunlight. Dust in the abandoned building danced in the light, creating an unusual amount of movement in the otherwise still room. Tigris stayed close behind Bullseye, and she tread softly so they could listen.
As they walked around a cluster of crates, Bullseye pulled up. Tigris didn’t understand what had halted her until she stepped forward to see for herself.
In a shaft of dirty sunlight, a man sat in a chair. His head was tipped back, his hands and feet were tied to the chair, and his eyes and mouth were wide in a death stare. His shirt was open, and burn marks covered his chest. Tigris walked around the corpse, trying to find what had killed him. She discovered a gaping hole in the back of his skull.
“Oh.” Tigris brought a hand to her mouth.
Bullseye held her finger to her lips and looked up at the surrounding walls and ceiling, searching for a hidden assailant. When satisfied, the experienced Warrior holstered her weapon and came to inspect the dead man.
“How long has he been here?” whispered Tigris.
“Not long.” Bullseye examined the underside of the man’s arm. “His body’s still warm.”
“Who do you think he was?”
“Erik. Who else would he be? It’s been years since I’ve seen him, but…” Bullseye turned over his arm and pointed at the crease of his elbow. “Look. That scar is from repeated DRK treatment injections. I have one too. This guy was definitely a Dominion member on the schedule. It must be Erik.”
Tigris looked at her partner. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here in time. You used to be friends?”
Bullseye frowned but nodded. “I’d hoped to get him away from the Dominion… Too late. Operatives must’ve followed him here because they knew he was making a deal with rebels. They figured he’d lead them to whoever wanted the password-lock device. When we didn’t show up, they tortured him.” She paused and looked at the corpse.
Maybe I should say something, thought Tigris. If he was her friend… This can’t be easy.
Bullseye was in her own thoughts. “If they’d just wanted to capture us, they wouldn’t have bothered burning him and everything. He’d just be dead – not tied and dead. They tortured him to get something.”
“The password-lock device,” Tigris understood. She watched as Bullseye began untying him. “If we’d gotten here sooner…”
Bullseye threw away the loose ropes and flopped Erik’s body onto the floor. She r
olled him over on his back and pulled her knife from her boot.
“What are you doing?” Tigris took a step back.
“Looking for the device.” Bullseye didn’t bother looking up as she made the first incision into Erik’s’ burnt abdomen. “We were taught in the Youth to swallow anything small that we’d confiscated if the enemy captured us. It’s a standard procedure one learns to follow, and I’m surprised the operatives who tortured him didn’t think of it. They probably assumed he had it hidden somewhere else, so they tortured him to get the location. I have to hurry before they realize their mistake and come back.”
Tigris backed away as Bullseye worked. Blood flowed out of the corpse and ran across the uneven floor, and Bullseye pulled out whatever she wasn’t interested in as she dug into the man’s chest.
Soon the sight and smell got to Tigris. “I’ll stand watch at the door.” Holding in a gag, she walked back the way they’d entered.
What have we gotten ourselves into? she thought. How valuable is this password-lock thing if the Dominion tortured this guy just because they thought he might have it?
A short time later, Bullseye met Tigris at the door. She was surprisingly clean and held in her hand a small electronic device the size of a fingernail. Bullseye walked past a dazed Tigris, and she led the way to the pace bike.
“Have you done that before?”
Bullseye didn’t answer as she handed the device to Tigris, who put it in one of her belt’s compartments.
At least she isn’t making me swallow it, thought Tigris.
“What does this thing do, anyway?”
“You know how information is restricted to different levels of security? Cruelthor obviously can restrict files to his eyes only. If you’re classified as an Elite, you have full clearance on all other files. Operatives are next on the food chain, and executives have access to business and financial accounts.”
The Kota Page 38