REV- Renegades

by T. R. Harris

  “You gotta be kidding me,” Zac said when the firsts of the trikes was assembled.

  “What, you don’t know how to sail?” Ashley asked, her wide smile almost glowing in the soft starlight of the moonless night.

  “As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

  “Neither do I,” Angus quickly added. “Never had much use for it.”

  “That’s all right,” Ashley said. “It’s fairly simple, and I do it all the time. The land around here if perfect for it, what with the wind and the dry lake bed.”

  “And we’re going to sail these things all the way to the weapons depot?” Angus asked.

  “They can reach forty miles per hour, and we can take a track pretty far from the main road, so no one should notice.”

  “But like we said, we don’t know how to sail.”

  “Don’t worry, gentlemen,” Gen. Smith remarked. “I come from a long line of rather blueblood, high-ranking military officers in the Northeast. I’ve done my share of regattas. I can handle this.”

  “Good!” Ashley said. “I’ll take one of the land lubbers and Smitty can take the other. Now, let’s get the other one assembled. You’re going to love this.”

  41

  Zac went with Ashley, cradling one of the weapons bags in his lap, while Angus took the other bag with Smitty and his land-yacht. They pulled the light vehicles out of the wadi and onto the hard-packed sand of the lakebed. Zac sat next to Ashley and pulled the canvas bag close to his chest. There were no seatbelts.

  “Follow me, general, but not too close otherwise I’ll steal your wind. There are quite a few gullies along the way, but I know where they are. I’ve been running this area for several years. It’s one my favorite past times. Me and Benson come here often.”

  She pulled tight on a line and the rickety vehicle began to move. And move it did. Within a minute it was racing across the flat terrain, picking up speed, riding the wind. Zac felt the exhilaration, with the wind in his face and the thrill of not knowing where they were heading across the dark landscape. Ashley seemed confident with her track, and Zac would occasionally look over his shoulder to see if General Smith was still behind them. He was, the triangle-shaped white sail visible in the distance. He worried if the twelve-foot-high piece of thin nylon sail was visible from the road, or any patrols that might be out. He looked up. The broad swath of material appeared like a beacon in the night.

  “Relax,” Ashley said, following his gaze. “We come out here at night quite often, Berry and me. It’s cooler. No one will see us. The road is about six miles to our left, and there are no other roads between here and the weapons depot. And with the lock down of the Enclave, no one will be out here except us. So, what do you think?”

  Zac smiled. “I have to admit, this is pretty cool…and you seem to be good at it.”

  “I’m an adrenalin junkie. You should have known me back on Earth. I mountain climb, scuba dive and parasail. This is pretty tame compared to some of the things I’ve done.” She noticed when the smile vanished from Zac’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I used to be like you, when I was younger. In fact, that’s what made me volunteer for the REV program. You know, a sense of adventure and to challenge myself.”

  “That didn’t happen?”

  Zac shook his head. “It seemed like a good idea at first, but don’t believe everything they say about REVs. Until recently—for me at least—it was just a sad routine of Runs and rehab, no time for a life outside the program. I could understand why; we’re not the type of people you can just hang out with.”

  Ashley smiled. “I don’t know about that. You seem okay by me.”

  “I’m different now, Ashley.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.”

  “Maybe later—if we survive—I’ll fill you in. But right now I’m thinking of all the things I’ve missed since becoming a REV.”

  Ashley hit him in the shoulder. “Hang in there, champ. We get through this everything will change. You’ll be the hero again. Hell, we’ll all be heroes.”

  He grunted. “Being a hero isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Right now, I would settle for being anonymous.”

  The rest of the trip was made in silence. Besides, talking while zipping through the cool desert night was creating a bug-trap out of his mouth. He spent the rest of the journey with his eyes squinted and his mouth closed.

  42

  They stopped about two miles from the depot, wrapping the sails around the masts and lowering them along the length of the land-yachts. Even so, they placed stones around the wheels, so the vehicles wouldn’t blow away in the constant wind. They would need them for the return trip.

  The team opened the weapons bags and pulled out armored vests, face grease and watch caps, along with the guns. Ashley stuffed her long, blond hair under a black knit cap and spread streaks of dark green grease on her face. She seemed to know what she was doing, even impressing the men when she picked up a short-barreled M-101 assault rifle with an M-18 energy rod on the rack and ran through the pre-op procedures. She evidently knew her way around the weapon.

  “Amber, this is Zac, is everything quiet back on the home front?”

  “Yes. I’m monitoring local emergency bands and no alerts have gone out. Let me know if you need me for exfiltration.”

  “That’s a worst-case scenario. We’d be on the run after that and with about five hundred light-years of Antaere territory to cross. I would prefer a more leisurely trip back to our lines.”

  “So would I, but there should always be contingency plans in place.”

  “Agreed. Keep monitoring. We’re heading in.”

  Under the cover of darkness, the four-person team covered the three miles to the weapons depot without a problem. They had to move along the fenced perimeter and along a section of the main road to get to the security buildings. Each structure was two stories tall, but there was only light coming from the lower floors of both. Seven local transports were parked outside, all but two of them covered in a thick layer of dust. Decoys, to make the station appear manned by more personnel? After all, if Zac was right, the documents had been removed from the Temple of Light two years ago. Since then, nothing had happened on Iz’zar that would indicate the secret was out. For all that time, it had to be a mind-numbing routine for the Antaere guards. He wouldn’t be surprised to find them asleep at their posts.

  Angus and Smitty took the far building, while Zac and Ashley approached the other. They had a pretty good idea which direction the tunnels would run; to the north, under the road and to the solitary building with the ventilation grills.

  Zac did a quick look-through at the window, seeing a utilitarian layout to the guard station, with an L-shaped counter, a series of desks and a bank of filing cabinets against the far wall. The room wasn’t large, indicating there could be another office in the back. No guards were visible—

  An Antaerean soldier came from the back room, carrying a cup and a plastic plate of food. Another came right behind him.

  Zac showed two fingers to Ashley. She nodded.

  “In position,” came Smitty’s voice in his ear. “Two on guard. Check the door. Ours was unlocked.”

  Zac scooted along the dusty concrete skirt boarding the building until he came to the door. It was made of glass. He looked inside and saw that the guards, seated on the other side of the counter, were invisible to him. He pulled back on the door handle and felt it move. His door was also unlocked.

  “Same here. We go in ten. Acknowledge.”

  “Acknowledge. You do the honors.”

  “Roger that,” said Zac. He began to countdown. At go, Ashley pulled open the door and Zac ran inside, leading the assault and literally leaping over the counter toward the guards. He landed on one of the desks, rolled over an Antaerean’s dinner, and swept the stock of the M-101 across an unguarded chin. He was over the desk and straddling the second guard a split second later, the barrel of the M-101 pressed under the ali
en’s jaw.

  Ashley appeared a moment later, checking the unconscious Antaerean. She frown and shook her head. “We could have used him for information.”

  “Sorry about that,” Zac said. “Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.” He turned his attention to the guard beneath him.

  “Where is the entrance to the tunnels?”

  Nearly every alien within the Grid—either members of the Antaerean or Human coalitions—had a universal translation device embedded under the skin behind their right ear. These synced with the bones in the ear and overrode what sound was coming in from outside. The translations were seamless, although the movement between lips and what was heard was a little disconcerting until one got used to it.

  “Tunnels? What tunnels.”

  Zac moved the M-101 and placed a round into the alien’s kneecap. The suppressed shot was still loud, but not as loud as the scream from the guard.

  “One more time, where’s the entrance to the tunnels?”

  “I will not tell,” the guard moaned. “You will have to kill me.”

  “I have no problem with that,” Zac said. “It just may take me a long time doing it. In the meantime, it will not be very pleasant for you.” He moved the barrel of the weapon against the other kneecap.

  “Stop! I will tell you.” The alien’s face was contorted with pain and he was on the verge of passing out. “The cabinets. False.”

  Ashley moved to the back of the room and the series of ceiling-high cabinet doors. She opened a set and found only drawers. At the next set she found a metal door, like that for an elevator. There was an electronic keypad at the side of the door.

  “What’s the code,” Zac asked.

  The alien’s eyes closed and his face relaxed. Zac slapped him to get his attention. “What’s the combination?”

  “Eight…one…one.” The alien passed out.

  “Eight-one-one, if that’s all.”

  Ashley punched in the code and the metal door slid to the side.

  “How are you coming, general?” Zac asked through the intercom. “There’s a door behind the filing cabinets. The code here was eight-one-one.”

  “Let me try it. Unfortunately, the guards over here put up a little more of a fight and weren’t in any condition to give us any information. Good, that worked. Two entrances. We’re going in, you stay in contact.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Zac wiped the gooey food from his vest and went to Ashley at the elevator. The compliant alien was unconscious and would bleed out very soon. Zac studied the metal box, looking for controls and any sign of security cameras. There was a button to one side, indicating a single level below.

  Zac hated elevators. They were too restrictive and made for easy traps. This time he had no choice.

  “I’ll go first,” he said to the spy.

  “No, I want to go with you.”

  “If it’s a trap, I need you up here to come rescue me,” he said with a smile. “If everything is okay, I’ll send the elevator back up.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Hey, I’m a REV; I’m always careful.”

  He punched the button and the door slid shut, with Ashley’s stiff middle finger the last thing he saw before the panel met the frame.

  The ride to the next level down was quick. The car stopped without the customary ‘ding’ signaling its arrival and the door opened.

  The elevator was at the far end of a long corridor with a series of doors lining the far wall. Zac did a quick look-around and noticed another elevator down the fifty-foot-long hallway. He knew this was how some of the Antaere tunnels were built, with a series of staggered elevators leading farther down, rather than one long shaft connecting the floors. This was a high-security facility, so it made sense that to reach each level would require a separate elevator.

  He sent the car back up and a moment later a red-faced Ashley Hunter appeared.

  “Listen, asshole, we’re a team. Don’t do that again.”

  The corridor was empty. This was almost too easy, a fact Zac attributed to the lack of any outward threat to the facility over the time it had been here. At the second elevator, Zac allowed Ashley to ride down with him.

  “Where are you?” he asked the others through his comm.

  “Second level,” Angus answered. “I’m surprised we haven’t linked up yet. I can’t imagine they’d have two sets of independent tunnels.”

  “Maybe the documents have been segregated and not all kept in the same place.”

  “That would make sense,” said Angus. “According to the compass, we’re heading toward the building on the other side of the road.”

  “Same here, these tunnels must run parallel.”

  “No signs of life, except on the surface.”

  “Roger that,” Zac said. “Moving to the next level down.”

  As the elevator door slid open on the second level, Zac stepped out, his weapon at the ready. Ashley was right behind him, until he pressed a hand against her chest and pushed her back inside. A brilliant flash of light blinded them both.

  “What was that?” Angus asked.

  “A flash weapon,” Ashley reported. She was on her ass, leaning against the back of the elevator, with Zac nowhere in sight. “Zac’s outside the elevator.”

  She crawled forward and looked around the edge of the doorway. Two huge Antaere had Zac by the arms and were dragging him down the corridor. She aimed her weapon and fired, hitting first one, and then the other alien in the back. Sparks flew out as the bullets ricocheted off thick armor. She aimed for their heads, with the same result. Both Antaere were encased in protective shields, including their arms, legs and head.

  Zac had taken a level one flash bolt to the head, something that even a semi-activated REV would have trouble countering. He was stunned, but quickly recovered. A moment later, a squad of Antaere appeared at Ashley’s elevator, four barrels aimed down at the Human female crouched on the floor.

  “I’m caught,” she said aloud.

  “Don’t worry,” said Angus. “So are we.”

  43

  The tunnel system did link up, at a large underground chamber that was now filled with armored Antaere soldiers and a pair of Humans, dressed in colorful robes. The two REVs had nylon ties holding their arms behind them and similar straps around their ankles. Smitty and Ashley were not restrained, but under watchful guard by the Antaere.

  A tall, yellow-skinned Antaere officer stepped up to Ashley. She recognized him as First Cadre Osno, the head of the Faloner garrison. As an undercover operative, she knew all the ranking officers. She also knew the Humans flanking him.

  “Thank you, Chancellor Lundquist,” said Osno. “Your information was correct. A grave injustice has been avoided. You and Mr. Jessup are to be rewarded.”

  “As long as the sacred documents are safe, that is all the reward we seek,” said Lundquist. He was smiling like the Cheshire Cat, looking into Ashley’s angry eyes. “The 4-Runner, my dear. It was bugged. You didn’t think I would volunteer to let you drive such a valuable possession without some ulterior motive?” He looked over at Zac and Angus. Zac had been temporarily stunned by the flash bolt, but not for long. His natural NT-4 allowed him to recover almost immediately, but by then, the room was flooded with armed aliens. He chose to let the scenario play itself out, whispering to Angus to surrender without a fight. Their natural abilities were still unknown to both Lundquist and the Antaere. That gave them the advantage.

  “And you, my REV friends,” said the Chancellor. “We are not without modern communications, including news broadcasts. If anyone would recognize the two of you, it would be us on Iz’zar. The Humans may be downplaying your sins, but not so in Antaere space. I knew your true identities the moment I first saw you.” His face turned serious as he looked down at Ashley. “What I was not aware of was your betrayal of the Order to help the heretics. You gave a convincing front, which only angers me more that I did not see through your deception.”

  “S
o what happens now?” Ashley asked.

  “That is always the question most pressing on the minds of captives. All I can say it is not up to me. This is an Antaere matter. They now have two of the four REVs they seek, plus a famous general. I imagine the newscasts will be very active for a long time to come as your treachery is broadcast across the Grid.”

  “You know it’s all bullshit,” Zac said. “The fucking Qwin are going to kill all of you. They don’t give a shit about their followers.”

  Chancellor Lundquist frowned. “I know that, Mr. Murphy,” he said to Zac’s surprise. “But that will be millennia from now and will be for others to worry about. Right now, I’m just trying to live the most comfortable and rewarding life I can, while I can.”

  “Let’s get on with this,” said the Antaere officer.

  “So you do have the Corollaries stored here?” Zac asked.

  The alien officer frowned. “You mean you initiated this operation without knowing for sure? That appears reckless and impulsive.”

  “Yeah, that’s about right. Humans are risk takers.”

  “Of course the documents are here. We would not allow them to be destroyed, along with the Temple of Light.”

  “That was a rather bitch move on your part, wasn’t it? To blow up your own Temple. Damn.”

  “It was just stone and steel, nothing more. It was not a significant site for the Antaere, but only for our alien followers. Only the documents had value. Now take the REVs,” the alien commanded.

  “And the others?” asked Lundquist.

  Osno looked over at Gen. Smith and Ashley before answering. “They are traitors to the Order, yet they are of no importance to us. You may do what you wish with them.”

  Zac counted fourteen Qwin, plus the two Humans, Lundquist and Jessup. He could tell Angus was cascading higher than he’d ever seen him on the natural NT-4. Zac was doing the same. This was a life-or-death situation, and Zac’s body was reacting accordingly.