Hidden Enemies (Book 9 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  Talbot leapt to his feet without waiting to see the results of the shot and threw himself into the hallway. He suspected there would be more intruders waiting to rush into the apartment and he wasn’t disappointed.

  Two more people waited in the hall, a man and a woman. The man was armed, so Talbot shot him first. The man’s return fire missed the marine by scant centimeters as he gripped his weapon spasmodically.

  The woman opened her mouth to say something, or maybe to shout, so Talbot shot her as well. Miraculously, no one else in the building seem to notice all the commotion. At least not yet.

  Smith stuck his head out, ready to assist in the fight, so Talbot drafted him into getting the two new prisoners into the apartment.

  Moments later, they’d dragged the man inside and dropped him on top of the other two. Talbot was a little gentler with the woman and set her on the couch next to the unconscious hacker.

  Smith locked the door again. Talbot had been certain he’d secured it after Zia had arrived, so one of these people undoubtedly had an entry code. This wasn’t a random attack.

  “Doctor Rehnquist, you need to hurry up,” Talbot called out as he made his way to Zia’s unconscious form. “Now that we’ve had visitors, we can assume there’ll be more. We need to get out of here. How much longer?”

  “I’m wrapping up what I need to do now. Give me three minutes and I’ll have us our own access to the facility computers, independent of this hardware.”

  “Make it two if you can.”

  Smith was watching the door, so Talbot holstered his weapon and went to examine the prisoners. He swiftly searched through their pockets and found their identification. Not that they’d mean anything to him.

  The woman had an identification badge that indicated she worked at the research center. It showed her name as “Adriana Lipp, PhD.” The man from the hall was Kevin Lipp.

  “Well, well, well,” he muttered. “It looks as if this is a family affair. I certainly wish we could take everyone back to our place for a more detailed questioning, but that seems unlikely considering we’d have to wander through the corridors with them over our shoulders.”

  “It’s not out of the question, if you know what you’re doing,” Smith said. “Keep an eye on the door and I’ll be right back.”

  He ducked out into the hallway and was back a minute later pushing a large laundry hamper.

  “Where the hell did you find that?” Talbot demanded.

  “I saw a sign at the end of the hall. Apparently, this apartment building has a central laundry that the tenants are eligible to use. I tossed out the bags of personal clothing and left the sheets and pillowcases in the cart. We should be able to cover everyone up with those and not suffocate anybody.”

  Talbot eyed the size of the hamper and slowly nodded. “Maybe. It’ll be a tight fit, but I’d rather not leave any witnesses that could describe us later.”

  Doctor Rehnquist came out and stopped abruptly as he saw all of the bodies lying around the living room. “Good heavens! What happened?”

  “You really need to work on your situational awareness skills, Doctor,” Talbot said. “These are our young hacker’s allies. Did you get everything you needed?”

  The scientist nodded. “I physically removed all the storage media. I’ll have plenty of time to go over everything the young man has stolen and I took the time to add another access pathway through the firewalls to allow us to use my equipment for the operation.”

  “Excellent,” Talbot said with a sharp nod. “Smith, you’re on lead. We want to make sure nobody raises an eyebrow when we come by. If they do, we’re going to have to stun them and make a run for it. I’d rather not do that, but if push comes to shove, that’s the plan.”

  The intrusion specialist signaled his understanding. “Just push that thing like you have every right to do so and no one will pay you any mind. If anybody asks what you’re doing, I’ll handle it.

  “Doctor Rehnquist, I want you to follow along behind us. Stay back at least thirty meters and pretend you don’t know us. Don’t even look at us. Just walk back to our hotel.”

  The scientist raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of our hotel, exactly how are you planning on getting that thing through the front door? I suspect the management is going to object if you try to bring it through the lobby.”

  Smith smiled. “Our hotel has a freight entrance. I’ve already taken the liberty of bypassing the security. We’ll go in that way and head up the service lift to our floor. If we run into anyone, I’ll bribe them to look the other way.”

  Talbot certainly hoped that worked, but it wasn’t as if they had a whole lot of choice in the matter. They needed to get back to their rooms as soon as possible. The research center might not miss their wayward receptionist, but a misplaced research scientist could potentially raise the alarm.

  They’d certainly be aware if she failed to show up at work as expected the next day. That pretty much guaranteed they’d have to carry off their intrusion and theft tonight.

  “Doctor, did you find anything in the files to indicate they were working on the kind of regeneration equipment we need?” Talbot asked the scientist.

  The older man nodded with a smile. “Indeed. As a matter of pure luck, I suppose, Doctor Lipp here is the chief researcher on that project. Sadly for us, her nephew was primarily interested in other projects.”

  “I’m glad to hear that they have something suitable,” Talbot said. “Is there any indication of exactly what projects young Ralph is most interested in?”

  The scientist shrugged. “He has a number of files that I haven’t had a chance to peruse. I can take care of that once we get back to the hotel. Perhaps by dark I can have a status report for you.”

  Talbot knew that was the best he was going to get, so he didn’t push the matter. He and Smith carefully placed everyone into the cart and covered them with sheets and pillowcases. They then headed down the hallway toward the freight elevator. It took both of them to move the heavy cart.

  He crossed his fingers as they walked, praying they didn’t run into any trouble. If something went wrong now, it could go very badly for all of them.

  “Once we get back to the hotel, I want you to go hit Doctor Lipp’s apartment,” Talbot told Smith. “We might get lucky and she’ll have copies of her files at home.

  “We can’t count on that,” Smith said with a grunt, “but I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try.”

  Talbot felt better the further away from the apartment building. He hoped Kelsey’s side of the operation was going more smoothly than his. It felt as if he were just staying just one step ahead of disaster.

  Veronica walked into chaos as she arrived back at the hotel rooms on the station. It seemed that Colonel Talbot had run into a little more excitement than he’d planned on while scouting out the research center.

  They’d apparently gotten into some kind of firefight in the receptionist’s apartment and now had five prisoners. That raised a lot of interesting questions about who the receptionist and his aunt were really working for.

  Zia wasn’t going to be pleased when she woke up either. Stunner headaches were a bitch.

  Doctor Zoboroski was monitoring everyone and assured Princess Kelsey that there would be no lasting damage. At his best guess, the everyone would regain consciousness in about two hours.

  They’d put Zia in the room she shared with Veronica while the prisoners were cuffed and secured in separate rooms under guard. They’d also put a blocker in the aunt’s room. It only had a short range so it didn’t affect any of their people.

  Unlike her nephew or the others, she’d had implants. They couldn’t allow her to wake up and communicate with the station or she’d call for help. They also couldn’t allow others to track her based on those same implants.

  Bill Smith had disabled everyone’s com units the moment they’d captured them. He’d be overseeing any data extraction when he got back from Doctor Lipp’s place.

  On the posit
ive side, it seemed they’d gotten information and access into the computers at the research facility. Doctor Rehnquist started cheerfully explaining everything he’d found to Carl Owlet as soon as the young man had walked in the door. Together, the two scientists were firming up their access and knowledge of the facility in preparation for a raid tonight.

  Princess Kelsey was closeted with Colonel Talbot and Cain Hopwood discussing the particulars of both missions. They’d invited her to join them, but she’d decided to do a little bit of scouting on her own.

  Something felt off to her about the way people had been behaving on the station since they got back. They seemed a little bit jumpy. More worried. She suspected something had happened and she needed to find out what that was.

  Before heading out, she stopped in her room to change into something more appropriate. Once she’d dressed, she let herself out quietly and made her way down the corridor to a local bar. One that seemed to have a solid Fleet presence.

  If anyone knew what was happening in the system, they’d be in this room. The presence of alcohol made it much more likely they’d share something they probably shouldn’t, too.

  The bar was a fairly upscale establishment, not some dark hole where serious drinkers went to drown their sorrows. The lighting was good, the clientele well dressed, and based on the prices, the liquor was of good quality.

  A glance around told her that there was a significant amount of serious conversation taking place. Every table seemed to hold people with their heads bent close together, discussing something. There was definitely something afoot.

  None of the Fleet officers were seated alone, so Veronica made her way to the bar instead. Bartenders seemed to hear everything. Perhaps she could get the information she needed that way.

  She ordered a fairly upscale drink and left enough cash beside it to make for a hefty tip. As the woman was taking it, Veronica leaned forward so that she didn’t need to raise her voice too much.

  “What’s everyone worried about? They all seem so nervous.”

  The bartender leaned toward her. “You hear those rumors about the Ghosts attacking some system nearby? It seems like they’re coming our way. From what I hear, all Fleet elements are being put on alert. They’re worried the shipyard might be a target. That Archibald itself might even be a target.

  “I don’t know about anyone else, but when I get off shift in an hour, I’m headed straight down to the surface. I’ve already got a ticket on one of the evening shuttles. As soon as I heard about the trouble, I picked it up while I was on break.

  “It won’t be long before everyone is trying to get off the station, so if you haven’t gotten tickets down to the surface, you might want to go ahead and get them now before the rush starts. I wouldn’t want to be stuck here if the Ghosts come calling.”

  Veronica shook her head as the woman moved off to serve someone else. Perfect. Their already tight schedule had just gotten significantly more complicated.

  As she finished her drink, Veronica chuckled bitterly. With their luck, it was an almost certainty that the Clans would arrive tonight. She had to get back to the hotel and let Princess Kelsey know.

  They’d have to begin preparing to hijack that ship as soon as the new flip drive was delivered. Time was no longer on their side.

  31

  Zia sat up, clutched her pounding head, and wondering what had happened. Then she remembered the attack in the apartment.

  A glance around the room told her she was back at the hotel, so they’d won the fight. Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Considering how abrupt the ambush had been, she’d been afraid they’d lose.

  She staggered to the bathroom and washed her face. A small package of painkillers sat beside the sink with a note to take them. That was thoughtful.

  It only took a few minutes to find Princess Kelsey and Talbot. They were closeted with Cain Hopwood. Only Veronica was missing.

  Kelsey smiled as she came in. “Oh good, you’re awake. Feeling okay?”

  “That’s debatable,” Zia grumbled. “My head is beating like a drum. I hate stunners.”

  Talbot grinned at her. “They beat the heck out of flechettes. As you’ve already figured out, we won the fight. Our little friend wasn’t just a receptionist. It turns out he was an industrial spy or something. He, his aunt, and her husband were stealing technology from the research center. I guess they won’t be thrilled with the competition.”

  “Probably not.” Zia sat down and poured herself a glass of water from the handy pitcher. “Did we get what we needed?”

  The marine nodded. “We have several bits of good news. First, the project his aunt was working on is indeed an advanced regeneration machine that can probably take care of what we need done for Commodore Murdoch. I realize that we’d be in better shape if we could focus on just one mission, but at least we’re past guessing.

  “Second, the receptionist had thoroughly penetrated the center’s firewalls. He had complete access to the restricted areas and even files from some of the projects. Unless it was on a standalone computer, he could get to it. And third, we have both his aunt and uncle stashed in a room nearby under guard.

  “I expect they’re waking up about now. I’ll question them before we make our move. They might be able to give us some clarity about the project. Anything that speeds us along is a good thing.”

  She nodded in spite of her pounding headache. “That’s good news. Tell me the bad news.”

  “You’re a pessimist,” Kelsey said gloomily.

  “I’m an optimist with a sense of history. The bad news.”

  “He didn’t have any files from his aunt’s project,” Kelsey said with a chuckle. “Either she has them elsewhere or it’s on a standalone computer. We have Bill Smith checking her place, but we probably still need to get the files from the center as well as any hardware to be certain we have everything we need.

  “Thankfully, Ralph has their security thoroughly penetrated. We don’t even need his identification card to get in. Carl said he can create false identities for everyone involved and print up cards that will work if you’re confronted. Basically, you should be able to waltz right in, steal everything you need, and waltz back out.”

  Zia laughed as the door opened and admitted Veronica. “Nothing ever works that easily for us. They will be some major complication along the way.”

  “I’m not sure what we’re talking about,” Veronica said as she took a seat, “but I’m here to deliver the mandatory complication. Word is out that the Ghosts are moving toward this system. Fleet is on alert, expecting an intrusion at some point in the next few days.

  “We’re going to have to move tonight if we expect to get clear before they get here. If I was a betting woman, I’d wager they’ll show up at the worst possible moment. For example, while we’re busy carrying out our plans tonight.”

  Kelsey swore. “I wonder what that’s going to do to security around the shipyard. Are we still going to be able to slip onto the freighter once our new flip drive is delivered? If we can, are we going to be able to get away without Fleet coming down on us like a ton of bricks? Will Carl be able to retrieve the FTL com?”

  Zia cocked her head? “Freighter? FTL com? What did I miss?”

  Her short friend shrugged. “We got caught planting Carl’s shunts, but they didn’t get the shunts themselves. I ordered Carl to hide an FTL com on the shipyard so Fiona could direct the manufacture of the flip drive we need, have it delivered to a freighter we can steal, and plunder their computers for any interesting information.

  “The original plan was for Carl to retrieve the com before we leave, but we might have to send a destruct signal to it if we don’t have time. Or if we can’t get back aboard the yard to get it. We can handle that. I’m worried about getting away when we steal the ship.”

  “If the ship is in operable condition, then it’s going to be ordered to flee as soon as things start looking bad,” Veronica said. “If we can get our people on board and
ready to secure the vessel ahead of that, we can wait for the real crew to get orders to make a run for it and then take them out.”

  “What if those orders never come?” Talbot asked. “What if the attack doesn’t make it to Archibald?”

  “Then the ship will be ordered to do its trials. There’s also a good chance it will be used to move critical equipment out of this system. That freighter is a big ship. So long as we hide ourselves well, there’s not going to be enough crew on board to find us. We can wait until it gets away from the shipyard to take it over at our leisure.”

  Cain Hopwood nodded. “If we can get my crew on board, I’d say we have a pretty good chance of taking it over without anyone being the wiser. We can install lockouts on the communication and control systems to make sure.

  “Even though the Rebel Empire Fleet might be at a higher state of alert, they’ll have their eyes on the flip point. They’re not going to expect someone to try stealing a ship right out from under their noses. We can use that to our advantage.”

  “It sounds as if both plans are advanced enough to execute,” Zia said slowly. “What are we going to do at the research center? Sneak inside with the small ring and bring the larger ring through inside the center? Then move everything out to our freighter and walk back out?”

  Kelsey nodded. “Something very much like that. Since Carl has access to the security system, he should be able to cancel any calls for help. That’s going to be the initial response of anyone that feels like you shouldn’t be there. With him watching over your shoulder, you should be able to get the equipment you need and get the hell out of there pretty fast.”

  Zia certainly hoped it worked out like that, but she’d wager there would be complications. There always were.

  “Do we have any idea what Persephone is doing?” she asked. “We might have need of the marines on board that ship and even their weapons if things get really hairy. And what about the Rebel Empire Fleet ships at the outer gas giant?”