Now, he walked the dark corridors and still couldn’t relax.
Sand, he thought. I knew Cruelthor would retaliate for the destruction of the factor base, but apparently his comeback’s of primal force. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Trok would probably say the same old schemes for power cycle around to be used by different players. Once again, the virus has a key role. Like his fathers before him, Cruelthor will use the DRK to enforce control. And he’ll use the citizens’ fear of the virus to draw out rebels. The Underground and Hood are already losing what little security they’ve obtained, and we Warriors are only slightly better off.
But Rave knew they were safe for now. No civilians knew enough about the Warriors to turn them in. However, many rebels wouldn’t be as fortunate. They would be betrayed. No one was safe from the virus unless they gave in to the Dominion, and the public knew it – knew it and had known it for centuries.
It’s been a few hours, thought Rave. Maybe I should check in and see if they’ve decided anything.
The base, in a state of hibernation for the night, was lit only by running lights along the grated floor. Rave didn’t want to turn everything back online, so he picked his way barefoot over the cold metal with the use of his enhanced eyesight.
Mid-step, he halted. His senses flared as the tingling burn of his mutate-genes spread through his body. His eyesight enhanced in the darkness, and he saw a body moving toward him from the far end of the corridor. The sound of heavy breathing reached his ears, but he didn’t recognize the breathing pattern as that of any of his partners.
Rave pulled himself up onto the pipes that ran along the ceiling. He held tight against the pipes and waited until the intruder was below him. In a perfectly timed move, Rave swung down, nailed the intruder in the chest, and sent him crashing to the floor.
“Oomph!”
The intruder fell hard, but he picked himself up so fast he appeared to bounce. Rave knocked him down again. A short struggle in the dark ensued, but Rave soon found that the man was too scrawny and quick to grab. With one last kick to Rave’s chest, the smaller man shoved Rave aside, jumped up, and ran away to a connecting corridor. He disappeared around the corner.
“Sand!”
Instead of giving chase, Rave turned to a panel beside the nearest door and entered the codes to lock the base’s exterior exits. A red light flashed on the panel, locking the exits. Next, he closed access to the primary level, meaning the secure areas like the weapons room and command center. While he was at it, Rave activated Eva and turned the lights back online. The corridor flooded with maximum light. Still, Rave saw no one.
Eva appeared from the display module beside him. “Can’t a girl get any beauty sleep around here?”
Tired, furious, and a little afraid, Rave snapped at the hologram. “Eva, why didn’t the security system I stole good kronar for pick up on the fact that an intruder broke in here? I believe that’s what the thing is for!”
“You returned to the base four hours ago. No breach in security has been reported, so the intruder must have entered while the system let you and Whitewolf reenter.”
I let this guy in? thought Rave.
“Eva, can you locate him now?”
“I’ve activated the ID tag scanner, but none are detected. No secure rooms have been breached, so no alarms have been triggered. How else would you like me to search?”
Rave had no idea, and he couldn’t think straight.
Sand, he thought. What’s this guy doing here?
“I’ve alerted the others, by the way,” said Eva. “No need to thank me.”
Rave headed down the corridor in search. His footsteps pounded against the grating as he stomped. He could see his way perfectly now. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. His hearing detected no sounds of the intruder, and his other senses detected only the normal sights and smells of the subterranean base.
Not, good, he thought. Not good.
Tigris, dressed in pajamas, met him at the living compartments’ side of the base. “Where’d he go?”
“No idea.” Rave continued walking. “Can’t your telepathy find him?”
Tigris jogged to match his gait. “I can’t locate someone who doesn’t have a mind link.” She sounded defensive. “You know I can’t do anything!”
Rave muttered under his breath.
We don’t have time to waste bickering, he thought. I have to focus before something catastrophic happens!
With Tigris on his heels, Rave walked briskly to the end of the corridor where it formed a ‘T’ with one of the outermost corridors. In this wall, he opened a control panel and worked to divert more power to the security system. Tigris stood beside him, biting her lip and looking up and down the corridor.
Whitewolf appeared from his living compartment, dressed only in shorts. “I only fell asleep ten minutes ago. I’m going to give this guy a piece of my mind and more when we catch him.”
“Where’s Bullseye?”
Rave looked at Tigris to signal her to be quiet.
“The intruder might hear you,” he thought at her. “The last thing we need is to start discussing where the Warrior Leader is, especially when we’re standing around in our sleepwear! We’re completely exposed, without facemasks, and foolishly using our Warrior names while not in disguise!”
Tigris winced and crossed her arms.
Whitewolf’s deep voice reminded Rave what he’d been doing before scolding Tigris. “Did you boost the security system?”
“Working on it.” Rave turned back to the switches. A second later, he finished and closed the panel. “We should split up. We need to check for damage to the base. Keep your guard up – he could be a Dominion operative.”
The biggest Warrior turned to the module by the control panel. “Eva?”
She appeared from the display.
“Eva, can you run the infrared scanners now that Rave’s increased the power?”
Why didn’t I think of that? thought Rave. I helped train Whitey and Tig, and they’re handling this better than I am!
The holo-person took only a second to activate the program. “The infrared detects an unauthorized heat signature in the gym. But it’s fading. I don’t know how that’s possible. The intruder was there and now…isn’t.”
“Sand. The gym’s on the other side of the base!” Rave looked at Tigris.
She swallowed. “Okay, I’ll go check it out.” She closed her eyes to teleport.
Whitewolf grabbed her hand. “Don’t be stupid. Take me with you.”
Tigris opened her eyes again. “You heard Eva – he’s not there. I can teleport away if I’m in danger. Wouldn’t it be better if you two went to the command center and used the security system to keep looking? You can tell me where to go, and I can keep teleporting until we find him.” She took a breath, trying to be brave.
Whitewolf let go of her hand. “Okay, but be careful, sis.”
Tigris smiled at him and closed her eyes again.
Rave caught her attention before she disappeared. “If he’s not in the gym, go put your suit on. We don’t want whoever this is to see our faces, if he hasn’t already. Get your suit on and then call out to us for further directions.”
Tigris nodded, and an instant later she was gone in a flash of portal light.
Rave turned to run with Whitewolf to the command center.
“Do you have any idea who it was?” asked Whitewolf. “We’ve seen most of the operatives’ profiles. If you recognized him, we might know who we’re dealing with.”
Rave shook his head and waved his arms as he ran. “He had long, scrawny legs! That’s all I saw. I have no idea if he was an operative, but it’s bad enough that anyone unauthorized is in here. I don’t care who he is – we have to get him out of here.” He spoke his worst fear. “What if he’s an operative with the virus?”
Whitewolf’s only reply was a deep scowl.
The male Warriors came to the command center, and Rave punched in the code to open the lo
cked door. Once inside, they locked themselves in and hurried to bring the security programs onscreen. They each took a section and examined the screens carefully. Rave scanned the surveillance footage as the cameras swung back and forth through every corridor and in every room of the base.
When this revealed nothing, Rave went to the more sensitive controls and hoped for something. However, there was no life energy detected in the living compartments, the garage, or any of the primary rooms he’d already locked. The only motion sensors triggered were the ones in the locker room where Tigris was changing into her suit. The infrared showed the same.
“Eva, scan for any foreign electronic devices or any airborne pathogens.” Rave started pacing.
Whitewolf looked over from his screens. “I don’t like this. Remington and the other assassins have been getting closer and closer to finding us. The last report an informant gave me was that they’d tracked us to Havanahell. Was it Remington?”
Rave bit his nails. “I don’t think so. He would’ve killed me rather than run away. This guy might have bigger plans that I interrupted, or something.”
“Well, even if it’s not Remington, it could be one of the others. You and I must’ve had a tail when we left Undertown. We led him right here!”
Rave scowled and kept pacing. “This is my fault. I should’ve been more alert, but I was so tired.”
“I’m the one who’s supposed to watch our backs,” Whitewolf reminded him.
Rave exhaled through his lips and looked at the screen as the bio readout reported that no pathogens were detected. “Well, that’s a relief.”
Whitewolf’s face went still, which usually meant his sister was telepathically in his head. Sure enough, he snapped back to himself and walked to the door. “Sis says she wants us to come to the locker room.”
“Is he there?”
“No. She didn’t say, but she seemed okay. We’d better hurry.”
The men ran down the corridor to the training facilities, and Rave used his senses to make sure the intruder wasn’t around. They entered the front gym, saw nothing, and continued into the locker room, where Rave heard Tigris clanging the storage cabinets. He and Whitewolf came around the corner and found her standing in front of the cabinets where they stored their suits. Luckily she had hers on, but she’d pulled Whitewolf’s out of storage. It was on the floor. She held Rave’s and was pulling out wiring.
“What-”
“He took a suit.” Tigris held a gloved finger to her facemask’s mouth area and reminded Rave, “Don’t forget, you installed radios in the suits for us to communicate. I’m dismantling the radios in yours so he won’t be able to hear us.”
Rave grunted and took his suit from her, finishing what she’d started with a yank. When that was done, he ran a hand through his hanging bangs. “That’s why the security system can’t get a trace on him. The suits are undetectable.”
“Let’s suit up.” Whitewolf looked down at his sister. “Did you check the training rooms?”
“No. Only the gym. I’d just finished changing when I noticed one of the spare suits was missing.”
“Mind checking the techno-cage room?”
Tigris left them with a nod. Rave and Whitewolf hurried to change and gather a few weapons from their locked storage place. When they were ready, they met Tigris in the front gym.
She was examining the wall of training weapons. “He must’ve been in too much of a hurry to see these. Good thing.”
“Unless he has his own weapons and doesn’t need ours.” Rave grabbed his katars off the wall.
Whitewolf looked around the open room. “Well, if he was here, there must be some trace of him. Right?”
Rave walked to the middle of the sparring mats. He closed his eyes to use his other senses, but he only detected Tigris and Whitewolf. Opening his eyes, he shrugged at them.
This is really not good, he thought. And something’s…weird.
Eva appeared from the room’s display module. “Found him! The intruder’s in the garage. He doesn’t have his suit fitted properly, and the infrared detected body heat escaping from the suit.”
Rave yelled his thanks to Eva and led the others out. The trio ran down the corridors to the garage. As they rounded the last turn, they found the door closed. Rave pulled on the door, but it was locked.
“Oh, sand. The garage is technically classified as an exit. That means the external locks I activated won’t let us through.”
Whitewolf summed up their agitation. “How’d the little-”
“The air ducts!” Rave exclaimed. “He got in by climbing through the air ducts!”
“Well, how do we get in?” Tigris put her glove against the metal surface. “I don’t want to teleport in when he knows we’re coming for him. Can’t you just unlock the door?”
“The garage exits are linked. If I unlock this door, the other exits will open too. He’d get out.” Rave looked at the control panel by the door and handed Tigris his katars. “Hold these. I think I can override the locks.”
He opened the control panel and concentrated, then twisted wires and pulled others free. A few sparks flew, but finally he saw the light blink green. Rave stepped back to make sure it was working before clapping in triumph.
“Bow down to me, all you who are unworthy!”
Whitewolf aimed a gun at the garage door and waited. Rave yanked the door open. Nothing jumped out at them, but Whitewolf stepped to the doorway to scan the garage. After a minute, the big Warrior nodded at Rave.
A-hunting we will go, thought Rave.
He reached over and took the katars Tigris was clutching, then led the way into the garage. The exterior exits were still locked. None of the vehicles appeared touched, but the three Warriors searched around the speeders, hummers, and hover cars parked in the aisles. Just when Rave thought Eva must’ve been wrong, his hearing picked up a scuffling sound. He lifted his fist for the others to freeze.
Move again! he thought. Come on, make another sound, and I’ll have you. You think you can come into my base, sneak around, steal one of our suits... –Ah-ha! I hear you now! There!
He signaled his partners. Moving as a unit, weapons drawn, they surrounded a crate near the garage wall. They’d picked up a new speeder from Rave’s dealer a few days ago, and they hadn’t yet unloaded the crate. Rave motioned for Whitewolf to split the front open, and he brandished his katars as he and Tigris stood in front of the oversized shipping box. Whitewolf grabbed the side of the crate, made sure the others were ready, and pulled the wooden cover free.
“Ahhh!”
The cry of alarm echoed through the garage as the intruder realized he’d been caught. He continued to shriek and curse as Whitewolf stepped into the crate and hauled him from his hiding place. Whitewolf reemerged holding the kicking man off the floor by the back of his stolen suit like he might’ve held a wild animal.
The intruder was young, somewhere in his late teens, and long-limbed. The suit was way too big for him. His short, spiked hair was green, and piercings covered his face and ears. They knew he was a MOB because of cat-like, yellow eyes. With Whitewolf holding him off the ground, the young man soon abandoned his attempts to struggle free. He hung limp, looking pathetic.
I was worked up over him? thought Rave. Hold on a minute…
“Nat?” he exclaimed in recognition.
Tigris looked from her weapon. “You know him?”
“So do you. He used to work as a hacker.” Rave snickered in relief and sheathed his katars. “Nat switched sides. Now he’s a Havanahell operative who trades away junk tech to the black market dealers. Isn’t that right, Nat?”
The trapped young man nodded. “I didn’t know anyone was here, honest! I thought this was just a hidden rebel garage when I followed a car in here. I was just peepin’ for stuff to pluck. You guys gotta believe me! I didn’t know this was a base!”
“So you’re not an assassin?” Whitewolf laughed and spun Nat by the fistful of suit he held. “You don�
�t have any DRK on you, do you?”
Nat shook his head violently.
“What do we do with him now?” Tigris asked. She added telepathically, “He knows this is a rebel base now, Rave. He knows how to get in, and he’s seen where we live. He probably got the layout of the entire base.”
Rave smiled under his facemask. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off and he’d given himself time to think, a plan was forming. “We could just kill him. That’s what I’m sure Bullseye would order. What do you think, Whitewolf?”
The big man played along. “You know how I work, Rave. I hit things; they fall down…”
Nat looked at each of them in realization. “You’re the Kota Warriors? Oh, I’m flushed! Look, look, I’ll deal! I won’t tell anyone I was ever here!”
Rave stepped forward and flicked the teen’s nose with a gloved finger. “Okay, Nat, let’s deal. The Havanahell club where operatives go after curfew – do you know where it is?”
Nat looked unsure what he wanted. “Yeah?”
Whitewolf glanced at Rave, apparently understanding his plan. He spun Nat to face him. “And you could take us there to find them?”
Now Nat understood. “I… I don’t know if the club’ll be open tonight. There are a lot of operatives comin’ into town for some reason, and I think they’ll be workin’ tonight. They might not party like usual.”
“Operatives are coming to Havanahell, you say?” Rave exchanged a look with Whitewolf. “Well, if they do party tonight, they’ll be at the club. We’d really, really like to meet them, Nat.”
“I… I don’t wanna bother ‘em.”
Rave pulled out a katar.
“Oh, come on!” Nat pleaded. “They pay me to snitch on a regular salary! You’ll slay them, and they’ll blame me and I won’t get paid! I need-”
“I’ll give you ten purple tubes,” said Rave.
Nat actually laughed at this. “Ten. Purple? Yeah, right.”
“I’m good for it, Nat. You take us to the club so we can do our thing, and you go free with more kronar than you’ve ever seen. That’s a pretty sweet deal, bucko.”
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