Cloaked

by Ell Leigh Clarke

  Brock held his hand up to his head. “I think it’s just overwork… and probably dehydration.”

  Auggie frowned. “Can I get you anything?”

  Brock waved his hand, and took a step away. “No. I’ll be fine. But thanks,” he smiled, giving his friend a thumbs up. “I’ll catch up with you later,” he added.

  Auggie nodded, watching him scuttle away down the corridor, in the wrong direction for the sleeping quarters.

  Brock’s attention was back on Pieter’s voice. “Turn right at the end of this corridor and then you just need to head up one level to their hangar deck,” Pieter said in his ear.

  Brock turned to the corner, glancing back, seeing Auggie still watching him.

  “Shit,” he muttered to himself.

  Brock arrived at the smaller service elevator area, and hit the button. “I think Auggie is suspicious,” he said quietly.

  Oz’s voice came over his implant. “You know why, right? You told him you were going to lie down and then continued in the wrong direction.”

  Brock slapped his palm on his head, and then remembered he was meant to be trying to look normal. He pulled his arms back down by his side, and rolled his shoulders again. “Dammit,” he hissed under his breath.

  Pieter chuckled lightly, despite the intense concentration. “It’ll be ok. You’ll be out of here super-soon. That kind of suspicion has a much longer lead time on it before it becomes an issue.”

  Brock shook his head, as if trying to shake the distracting thoughts from his focus. “Ok. Fine. You got me a ship yet?”

  Oz came on the audio. “Yep. Sending you the details and access codes to your holo. It’s situated on the far side of the deck though. I’d recommend staying on the peripheries and looking like an engineer if you can.”

  Brock stepped into the elevator as it arrived, scratching his head thinking. “How the hell am I going to do that?” he asked, not truly expecting a response from Oz.

  Pieter chipped in. “Improvise… like your life depends on it. Because it does.”

  Brock exhaled a humorless chuckle. “On it,” he said uncharacteristically dryly.

  The elevator doors slid open onto another small elevator bay, and Brock stepped out turning towards what looked like a set of doors onto a hangar deck.

  It was a strange feeling. Although the set up was different, the scene of fuel and oil and warp tech made him feel strangely at home.

  He wandered through the doors and onto the yellow walkway. There wasn’t a soul in sight. He followed the walkway around keeping his eyes peeled, and double checking the make and model of the vessel he was looking for.

  About 200 yards around he spotted a tool kit slung over the railings on the right. He walked passed, picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder as if he’d been the one to leave it there while he took a bathroom break.

  He kept walking, his eyes flicking from one ship to another.

  “You’re nearby, just another 500 yards now,” Oz told him.

  Brock slowed his pace and started to wander off into the array of vessels and cargo movers, and antigrav forklifts.

  He spotted the ship he was after, and checked the number on the side. “Bingo,” he whispered, still keeping his awareness on high alert in case anyone else was about.

  He marched over to it, and activated the holo panel, punching in the access codes. The door opened on the tailgate only. He looked around and saw that was the only entrance on these models. He hurried around to the rear and stomped up the ramp.

  Once on board he checked around, and then made for the cockpit. The inside of the ship was warm, as if it had been sitting here accumulating heat from the rest of the ship, and not radiating it out again. There was a smell of hot plastic and a scent of people as if it hadn’t long been used.

  He sat down in the pilot’s chair and started going through his best-guess check list he could think of for this kind of machine.

  “Oz anything I should be aware of on this model?” he asked quietly as he worked.

  “Hang on,” Oz said. “Ok, check your holo.”

  Brock glanced down at his holo to find the check lists for going into space on this ship. He opened the holo pulling it out and laying the screen over his left leg as he ran down the list.

  Within minutes he was ready.

  “Ok Pieter, Oz. I’m flight ready. Where are the peeps. Wanna let Jack know?”

  Pieter’s voice responded. “Yeah. We’ve got a situation. Just hold on. We’ll update you shortly.”

  The audio clicked off.

  Brock sat in the cock pit, and powered down the electrics so as not to draw attention. He sat there in the half light, with nothing to do but wait for further instruction.

  Aboard the Flutningsaðili, Floor 22

  Joel slipped through the dock door that Oz had just unlocked for him.

  “Ok, now where?” he asked, looking up and down the corridor as a few dim lights came on.

  Oz came over his audio implant. “It looks like this is all warehousing on this floor, with very few personnel. I suspect you could pretend that you belong here and if the folks aren’t obviously carrying weapons you’ll probably be ok.

  Joel straightened up and holstered his gun. Looking up and down the corridor again.

  “Go right,” Oz instructed. “I’ll get you down to Molly’s floor so that when they dock you can come around the back of any resistance that seems to be accumulating.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Joel responded, striding off down the first corridor, taking on the air of an employee of the freight company rather than a trained mission operative with a purpose.

  “Also - for the record, it looks like Max Pike isn’t planning to play ball,” Oz informed him. “We’ve just had news from Jack that he’s confessed as much, having caught her trying to free the others. She’s there under armed guard, on the fourth floor, and he’s making his way down to meet the Empress already.”

  “Ok, roger that. I’ll cover Molly then we’ll head up to four to scoop up the others.”

  Aboard the Flutningsaðili, Floor 25, Dock 26

  Molly felt the bullet approaching.

  She could see it rippling through the air, and found herself fascinated by the pressure wave it seemed to make as it traveled on through the space between them.

  She knew it was on a collision course for her chest. Just above her heart.

  She knew she needed to move.

  But somehow it just felt like there was no urgency. Her mind screamed at her, yet her body felt a complete peace.

  And then something shifted.

  Effortlessly she felt herself sidestepping out of the way. The instant she was clear, the speed of things returned to normal.

  She turned and watched the bullet disappear into the forcefield of the Empress behind her.

  The sense of peace remained though, clinging around her body like a swarm of magnetic butterflies, attracted to her skin.

  Then she turned and looked at Pike. His face had turned from a look of aggression to one of shock as he himself hit the deck.

  Molly tracked back in her mind what had just happened and she saw a shot hit him, from the direction of his left. She turned her head to see Crash coming out from behind the Empress.

  “You ok?” he called over.

  Molly nodded, suddenly aware of Paige screaming and crying. It sounded like her shriek kept catching in her voice, making it even more terrifying for her.

  Molly ignored it for the moment, turning back to Crash. “Is he stunned? Or dead?” she asked quietly.

  Crash looked down at the weapon in his hand to check the setting. “Stunned,” he said, wandering over to where the ladies were still standing. “Settings were still on stun from the last mission,” he shrugged.

  Molly smiled.

  Paige’s tears had started to flow as her extreme terror had turned into relived sobs.

  “Take her back onto the ship,” Molly instructed quietly. “I’m going to find the others
.”

  Crash put an arm around his tearful team mate and led her back the way he had come.

  Oz, which way?

  Straight out of here and turn right. Joel is two floors above you, heading for the elevator. Good job too, you have around half a dozen armed personnel coming from either direction.

  What’s the best way to deal?

  Molly continued jogging down the corridor.

  I’m opening a door. Slip in there. The ones from straight ahead are going to reach you first. Take those out. Then the ones from the other side. I’ll bring Joel up behind you.

  Ok.

  That door. The one you just ran past.

  Molly stopped and turned back, slipping into the door Oz had just unlocked for her.

  Sure enough not a few seconds later a parade of Estarian security personnel rounded the corner.

  She began firing, just as if it were a training exercise. Again, amazed at how calm and collected she had become. And how easy it was to pick them off before they even got a round out.

  The feeling she used to have when her arms and legs would feel like lead when she was nervous pre-mission was a long distant memory.

  Like a dream that was drifting away.

  All that existed now was the confidence and presence that she felt, and the targets that gently appeared ready to be taken out.

  She reloaded, concentrating on her breathing, and staying in whatever zone she had slipped into since the bullet incident.

  She turned, almost feeling the next wave of tangos coming around the next corner. They were further away. She tried to estimate the distance,but her brain couldn’t kick in. She tried to remember the range on these Federation issue hand guns.

  Again. Blank.

  She took another breath and looked at her target… the oncoming security guards, with their rifles and black suits, ready for battle.

  And then a sense in her body just told her that they were now in range. She raised her gun arm, keeping her body side on to minimize their target area of her, and fired.

  The first round hit the first tango square between the eyes. Then the next. Then the next and the next, and the next. There was a pause as two more made their way over the bodies piling up, firing an array of shots in her direction, all of which felt like rain that would never hit her.

  The remaining two came into range and she tapped the one behind, and then the one in front.

  They both went down, almost as if they had just tripped.

  She paused, sensing another body coming around the far corner. She raised her arm up to fire, but hesitated.

  Something told her not to shoot.

  A second later Joel rounded the corner. She dropped her arm and flicked on the safety.

  Joel looked at the bodies in front of him, and stepped over them, making his way down the corridor, weapon in hand but aimed at the floor. “Guess you didn’t need me after all,” he said in a whisper. Then he looked on up the corridor and saw the other pile of bodies. He looked back at Molly. “You did all this?”

  Molly nodded, half aware that she was probably looking a little spacey.

  Joel whistled through his teeth. “Remind me not to ever piss you off,” he muttered.

  Molly holstered her gun. “We need to get moving. Oz says the others are on the move. We need to find them before the other fuckwits get a bead on where they are.”

  Joel nodded, allowing Molly to lead the way.

  Ok Oz, where now? Elevator?

  Yes, head for the fourth floor. They’re just about to leave the restricted access area. Pieter is guiding them in. We’ll stall them at the elevators so you can bring them down together.

  Joel and Molly jogged the length of the final corridor to the elevator, and waited for Oz to bring it down.

  “You stay here and guard our exit,” she told him. “No point in putting us all in the same spot…”

  Joel nodded, noticing her sudden increase in tactical awareness. “Good call. Be careful,” he told her, as she stepped through the opening doors.

  “I will,” she answered, still a little glazed in the eyes. Joel watched her as long as he could, the elevator doors closing and separating them once again.

  Aboard the Flutningsaðili, Floor 4

  The elevator doors opened on level four and Molly looked out into the stark white corridor. She could hear footsteps not far away.

  They’re coming down the next corridor. They’ll be here any second.

  Molly stepped out between the doors holding them open. A moment later the crowd of her people came round the corner. “This way,” she told them urgently, beckoning with her hand for them to hurry.

  Sean led the way. “Come on folks. Quickly,” he commanded.

  The group piled into the small metal box. Molly wondered for a moment if they had overloaded it, but after a second of anxiety the doors closed and they headed down.

  “Good to see you,” Molly smiled across at Maya and Sean. She glanced over at Jack. “Thanks for looking after them,” she winked.

  Jack smiled, and glanced sideways at Sean’s reaction.

  Brahms and Lara watched the interaction. “Who are you people?” Brahms asked in fascination and exasperation.

  Molly grinned at him, and gave a little bow. “We’re your friendly neighborhood rescuers. We’ll explain more later. For now, let’s get you out of here, eh?”

  Lara nodded. “Thank you. That sounds… amazing!” Her face had relaxed, and though she was gray from the fatigue and conditions, she had already started to brighten with the hope of it all being nearly over.

  Molly smiled at her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. “We’ll be out of here very soon…” she promised.

  The lift arrived at floor twenty-five and Molly pushed her way to the front ahead of the doors opening.

  Aboard the Flutningsaðili, Floor 1

  “Ok Brock. You’re up,” Pieter’s voice came over his ear piece suddenly.

  Brock suddenly sat up straighter in the little vessel he’d commandeered. “What’s happening.”

  Pieter was all business now, and urgency in his tone. “You have one rescuee coming your way. A young girl. Her name is Anne. She was being held captive with the scientists. We don’t know the full story yet but Sean was able to get her into the ventilation system and send her your way.

  Brock hesitated. “What about the others?” he asked.

  “Molly and Joel are going to get them. There was an intervention with some errr… shooting,” Pieter explained.

  Brock was on his feet and moving. “Is everyone ok?” he asked quietly.

  Pieter’s voice relaxed a little. “Yeah. They’re all fine. Just not out of the woods yet. I’d say hop out and see if you can meet Anne by the elevators. And then get her and you out of there pronto. Can you manage that?”