Landing heavily on his right side, he felt a sharp pain in his elbow. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and rushed to his chair. He tried to reach for his gun with his right hand but the intense pain from just moving it made him clench his teeth. Holding his arm in tight, he fumbled with his holster left handed until he was able to draw out his Ŝkorpion vz99. Flipping off the safety and the selector to full auto, he pointed the deadly gauss gun in the direction of Kaitlyn’s father and pulled the trigger.
* * * * *
DJ heard the high pitched retorts of the Ŝkorpion milliseconds before he was hit. He felt multiple impacts along his left side but after that, how many he had no idea. The first few that hit him had knocked him down and his whole left side was afire with pain. Even though he felt the wetness of blood along his arm and chest he knew that he had been lucky that the trauma plates built into the liberated SIS uniform had absorbed the majority of the energy from the hailstorm of bullets. The two android bodyguards hadn’t been as lucky as they lay in pieces with just a twitch here and there.
When the gauss gun clicked empty, DJ looked up and gauged the distance to the Admiral. Considering the pain in his left arm, he knew that at least one bone had been shattered. A quick glance also informed him that several rounds had entered and exited through the meaty part of the arm. And since he was having trouble breathing, at least one rib was broken. With those limitations in mind, he knew he couldn’t cover the distance between them before Roger had a chance to reload. But he had to try.
Forcing himself to his knees, DJ began the race against time with the fate of his daughter as the prize.
* * * * *
Roger dropped the empty magazine onto the polished floor of the control room and it echoed loudly in the sudden silence. “I have to give you credit Scott, I didn’t think anyone would make it this deep into my factory. How’d you do it?”
He laid the empty gun on the control console and he pulled free another magazine. The ex-Marine was struggling to stand up and bleeding profusely along his left side. He was wounded but not enough to stop him. At least not yet.
“I see you pretended to be one of my Enforcers. I’ll have to figure out a way for that not to happen in the future.”
Roger slid in the fresh magazine with resounding click that filled the room. “You hear that Marine? That’s the sound of your death.”
The retired Admiral had to give Kaitlyn’s father credit. He wasn’t giving up. If anything, he had increased his pace but they both knew he wouldn’t make it in time. He watched as DJ raised his gleaming sword and growled. Roger flicked the power button, raised the gauss gun and grinned.
* * * * *
Every step was pure agony. It was a tossup which hurt more, his left arm, ribs or left leg. It’s not like it was his first time getting shot. He had been, several times. But that had been years ago and the mind has a way of blocking out the truth about the pain.
DJ absentmindedly calculated the distance left to travel, about five meters. On a normal day, he could cover that distance before Admiral could raise and fire his weapon. But this wasn’t a normal day and with his injuries, the seven meters could’ve been three and he doubted he would make it in time. When he heard the fresh magazine slam home, he knew he was toast. As the evil bastard raised his gun and grinned, DJ knew that this was the end.
A loud boom broke the silence and echoed through the room.
Roger’s head exploded, spraying blood and brains all over the factory console.
DJ halted his painful charge and looked around to find his rescuer but his eyes stopped when they came to Kaitlyn. She was holding one of his lost blasters.
Even as he watched, she dropped the gun and shook her right hand. “Damn, that thing kicks.”
DJ grinned. “Nice shooting, squirt.”
Kaitlyn leapt up and rushed to his side. Her hug hurt because of his injuries, but it felt so good knowing that she was safe. Finally after a moment, he had to step back and sit down.
“You’re hurt.”
“Duh, Einstein. You figure that on your own?”
Kaitlyn smiled. If her father was being sarcastic then, despite the blood, he was really okay. “What can I do?”
DJ talked her through the process of bandaging his wounds and splinting his broken arm. It was painful but it was necessary. Once all that was complete, she gathered up his weapons and placed them in the proper places on his harness. At his direction, she gathered up the dropped Ŝkorpion for herself.
“If we run into trouble, click the switch to full auto, point it at the bad guys and pull the trigger.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “Spray and pray. I’ve got it.”
“Good. Now help me up. We still need to get topside before all Hell breaks loose.”
Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow in silent question but her dad didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask. It wasn’t long before they were in the hallway and heading out.
Chapter 21
Jax, Spike and Sponge Bob reached the door to the Conference Room. They really had no idea what to expect on the other side. At least, all three of them were well armored – Jax in the Red Falcon armor and the two SWAT officers back in their Tac-armor – and well-armed, since they had supplemented their standard weaponry with additional guns from the storage room. Both SWAT officers had chosen Plasma Rifles; which in effect was a rail-gun that fired red hot balls of energy known as a plasmoid.
Jax, in the guise of the Red Falcon, had taken twin Ŝkorpion vz99 with extended magazines for their high cyclic rate. Before he opened the door, the ex-pirate turned bounty hunter paused and faced his new companions. “Just remember that the pirates are not our main concern.”
“But they’re criminals,” replied Spurgeon.
“And how are you planning on arresting them? As an NAPD SWAT officer you have no authority here on Titan, and they know this.”
Spike nodded. “The Falcon is right. They get a free pass today, as long as they don’t shoot at us the pirates are fine. But if they start shooting, then all bets are off.”
“I can live with that. However, keep in mind that Mörder their leader is a blood-thirsty killer without conscious but he is pragmatic. If he is dealing with Kassinger it’s because he wants something. Period. He would just as soon shoot the lawman as spit on him.”
“Sounds as if you know him.”
Jax chuckled. “You could say that but it’s a long story.”
Spike gestured to himself and Sponge Bob. “Don’t worry about us; we just want justice for Teana. We owe her that much at least.”
Jax took a deep breath. “Good, let’s all keep calm and with a bit of luck, we’ll get through this alive.”
Pushing open the door, the three warriors stepped in with guns drawn and stopped dead in their tracks. Judging from the their reception, all three of them knew immediately that they were totally screwed
* * * * *
Once Commander Cline and Lieutenant Evans had found the file they were searching for, it was time to depart. Virginia grabbed a plasma rifle and checked power pack before powering up the weapon.
“What now?”
Alex copied her motions but also grabbed a couple of plasma grenades. “Now we get to the bridge of the Horus.”
Virginia cocked her head to the side and flipped a stray strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. “Why?”
“If she is as complete as I suspect, then we can use the communication package on her to call for help.”
“Works for me.” Virginia leaned the rifle against the wall, adjusted her belt and unzipped her jumpsuit to show off a bit more cleavage. “I guess you want me to distract the guards.”
Alex picked up her rifle and handed it back to her. “Nope, the time for being nice is long past. Lock and load, lieutenant.”
Virginia grinned from ear to ear and her eyes flashed with excitement. “Yes sir!”
* * * * *
Jeffrey Kassinger, the High Sheriff of Titan, sat across the table from th
e self-proclaimed pirate-king and wasn’t impressed. He had strut in like a pretentious asshole, all proud and self-important. But to the Sheriff, he was nothing more than a thug. He wanted something that Jeff had tucked away and in the end, that gave him the power.
Mörder stood up, put both fists on the table and leaned forward. “We had a deal lawman.”
Kassinger leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest, the picture of relaxation. “The Admiral had me do a little research on those isolation pods you are wanting. It seems those individuals are very valuable and not only to you. We’ve had other offers.”
“So…your word is worthless?”
A slightly hollow but deep voice came from his left. “You should’ve known that going into the deal Mörder.”
Every pirate reacted the same way, pulling out an assortment of guns and pointing them at the intruders. However, seeing the Red Falcon flanked by two NAPD SWAT officers in full tac-armor was not what they expected.
Mörder asked, “What are you doing here Falcon?”
Jax took a step into the room and totally ignored all the guns aimed at him. He pointed at the Sheriff. “I’m here for Kassinger.”
It was at that moment when Spike realized how the Falcon was going to play this out but he might need a little help with the bluff. Calling up the warrant program on his tac-armor with the intention of displaying a faux citation, Spike was surprised to find an active warrant recently issued for the Sheriff. Activating the program, he stepped forward as a small holographic projection appeared over his left shoulder. “An arrest warrant has been issued for Jeffery Kassinger with the charges of kidnapping, murder, wrongful imprisonment, treason and about a half-dozen other charges.”
Kassinger leaned forward and placed his feet back on the floor. “He’s lying. Those two were my prisoners just a short while ago.”
Spike nodded. “We aren’t denying that accusation and since we will surely be called as witnesses to some of your crimes, we aren’t arresting you. He is.”
Mörder shrugged. “Seems legit to me. Personally, I don’t want to cross the Falcon…at least not yet and not over a piece of filth like you.”
Kassinger bolted upright but before he could say anything else or press the panic button on his table, Jax fired one of his capture nets. The titanium alloy netting wrapped up the big man and the built in stun properties fired. Seconds later, he was trussed and unconscious.
Mörder nodded. “Simple and efficient. Now what?”
Jax decided to keep the Red Falcon bluff going and said, “Currently you are not my mark. You and your merry band can depart.”
“What? And expose our backs to you and the pigs?”
Jax grinned even though no one could see it behind the Red Falcon helmet. “Then I suggest we all depart. You don’t trust me at your back and we don’t dare trust you either. So, let’s depart en mass and keep the peace until we reach the flight deck. Once there, you and your merry men can go your way and we go ours.”
Mörder nodded. “Works for me. You do realize that if this is a trick, then all three of you are dead. Even with your fancy armor, you won’t get all of us before you fall.”
Jax recognized that there was more truth in that statement than even the pirate guessed. Moving over to the trussed up sheriff, Jax lifted him easily due to the enhanced strength of the CSA armor. He gestured to the door with his free hand. “After you.”
Mörder snickered. “No, after you.”
Jax chuckled, although it sounded hollow coming from the Red Falcon helmet. “I can see that this will be difficult. What if we let the Hurricane decide?”
Mörder threw his head back and laughed loudly. “A woman? Ha. Their toughest decision is deciding what shoes to wear with what outfit.”
Then all three companions noticed how the redhead’s eyes flash with anger and it looked as if she was going to say something but at the last second she bit her tongue; both figuratively and literally, to keep her voice silent.
Mörder was completely unaware of her displeasure and pointed at some greasy haired pirate with shifty eyes near the back of the pack. “Trotter…you’re on point and if we get jumped, it’s your neck.”
And just like that, they were on their way topside.
Spike keyed up the tac-net. “So, this is your whole plan?”
Sponge Bob answered. “Well, it’s working. If the SIS jump us to try and free Kassinger, then the pirates will have to respond.”
“That was my thinking also. However, once we reach the flight deck I’m open to suggestions.”
“We’ll think of something.” After a brief pause, Spike asked, “Falcon…why did you single out the redhead?”
“In another place and another time, she was a friend of mine. I wanted to make sure she truly knew how Mörder feels about women. Besides, if this goes south...we might need her help.”
“Fair enough. If we survive this, the first round is on me.”
* * * * *
Alex and Virginia found it easier getting to the Horus than they expected. All of the roving patrols had been rushing topside and not looking down side passages. Only once did they have to resort to gunfire and that was when they reached the gangplank to the Dreadnaught. The guards assigned to protect the huge ship were on high alert with blasters out and seemingly itchy trigger fingers.
Alex didn’t even try to be diplomatic. He just popped out from behind some crates and began firing.
The ten guards on the gangplank began blasting away. Even though they outnumbered the Coalition officers by five to one, they didn’t have the advantage of cover and it turned out that Virginia was a crack shot. She downed three for every one that Alex got. The gunfight was fast and furious but in the end, the Coalition officers walked across the gangplank unimpeded and uninjured.
Alex glanced down at the bodies as they passed and looked back to his aide. “Now I’m impressed. Where did you learn to shot like that?”
“Eastern Kentucky,” replied Virginia and for just a second her country accent came through. “I’ve been hunting since I was eight and bagged my first deer at ten. You should see me with a bow.”
“Nice. Never would’ve pegged you for a country girl.”
“We women have many talents that we keep secret.”
Alex was smart enough after two failed marriages to keep his mouth shut and lead the way through the vast ship. He’d been studying the plans for the last six months and knew the layout of the ship as well as any man alive. Of course, moving through the actual ship with its gleaming walls and bright rivets was so much more satisfying than the virtual ship he’d been exploring as part of his new assignment.
Once they reached the bridge, Virginia immediately headed over to the engineering console. Her hands flew over the controls. “Sir, we have full power available on all engines. Decks thirty-five to forty-two are not pressurized. However, hatches are responding and those decks are now sealed off.” She paused as she slid her chair over to a different screen. “I should add that according to my readings, we also have power to the forward plasma cannons, numbers one through five. All other weapons are reading offline at the moment.”
Alex sat down in the Command chair and caressed the black leather armrests for a moment before flipping them open to reveal the command module. “Anyone else on board?”
“Negative sir. The only life signs registering are ours but that doesn’t preclude any androids that they might have had assigned to do work on the ship.”
“Good point. Go to Dog-Zebra and lock the ship down. I don’t want any interruptions.”
Virginia punched in the proper codes and every hatch on the ship slid closed and locked. Dog Zebra was a hold over command from the days of the wet navy when hatches had to be physically closed and latched. Most doors, commonly known as hatches on a ship, had three different latches. The primary latch which could be opened from either side was known as ‘Dog X-Ray’- every hatch closed and latched. Dog Zebra was one step furth
er. The two additional latches would be secured and if you happened to be on the wrong side of the hatch, you were stuck there until someone opened it. It was put in place to keep the compartmental aspect of the ship’s integrity intact.
Within seconds, her panel showed green lights all around. “Condition Zebra set throughout the ship, sir.”
“Good, prepare to cast off just in case.”
“Sir?” Virginia swallowed hard. “Uh…sir, I don’t think the Horus was designed for only two people to run...sir.”
Even though Alex didn’t look up, he nodded. “You would be amazed what this ship will be able to do when she is fully operational. And don’t worry, I don’t want to try and fly her manually unless we have no choice.” He pointed to another panel nearby. “See if the ship’s resident AI has been installed and if so, boot her up.”
“Aye, aye sir.”
Alex turned back to his task of contacting help.
* * * * *
Chief Warrant Officer Third Class Joey ‘Sandman’ Sanders of Alpha Flight tapped his radar display before keying up his mic. “Tinman…did you see that?”
“What?” responded Lt. Ed ‘Tinman’ Brockbank, Commander of Alpha Flight.
“On the very edge of our radar, I could swear I saw a large blip of something big.”
“How big?”
“If I had to guess, I would say Battlecruiser size.”
Tinman rubbed his chin and itched to switch his radar from passive to active. Sandman wasn’t one to jump at ghosts. If he says he saw something, then he saw something. The question was…what? “That can’t be possible. All battlecruisers were either mothballed or turned into scrap at the end of the war.”
“I know, I know. It’s just…I’ve seen that signature before.”
Tinman paused as a coded message came in for him. It only took second to translate and for him to read them. Keying his mic Flight-wide, “Alright everyone, look sharp. Orders just came in. We are to proceed to the dark side of Titan and intercept some pirates.”
Sandman switched his radar to active and set it on long range scan. Nothing. He mumbled under his breath but fired his engines and twisted his Dragon until he was right behind his Flight leader. “On your six, Tinman.”
The Last Spartan 2: DJ's Mission Page 21