Far From Home: The Complete Third Series (Far From Home 16-19) (Far From Home Box Set Book 3)

by Tony Healey

  As he'd explained to Captain Chang, it was simply impractical to fit that many warheads inside a single torpedo. They'd never fit. Added to that, the weapon wouldn't be able to do what she wanted it to do. As per Chang's instructions, it would have to locate a specific target area and attach itself to it.

  "Back on Earth, centuries ago, there was a great war. There were huge mobile artillery in use and one way of putting them out of action was to slap a simplistic explosive device to weak spots. It would adhere to them, allowing the user time to clear the area before it exploded. What was important was that it allowed for very specific destruction," Chang told him. "It was called a sticky bomb."

  The Chief's solution was perfect. He stripped everything but navigational sensors and thrusters from the probe. After that, there was just enough space inside to fit the warheads and a simple triggering mechanism. By its very design, the probe could latch onto any available surface with ease. It would launch from the front end of a fighter, then fly toward the intended target under its own power. then it would attach, and blow itself up.

  "I think I'll call it a 'kamikaze.' Descendent of the 'sticky bomb.'"

  "Is it to remain a secret?" Chip asked.

  "Yes. For the time being. I've disabled the whole probe. Last thing we want is it detonating under our noses."

  "Chief, I do not have a nose."

  Kolvin rolled his eyes. "Just lift it up, will you?"

  "Yes Chief."

  Chip bent down, picked the probe up off the deck, and held it in front of him with both arms. It was impossibly heavy; but for the android, lifting the probe was little to no effort at all.

  "Take it to the armoury. We'll lock it up till we need it."

  He followed Chip into the corridor and along to the armoury where the Master At Arms assisted them in getting it stowed safely away. When it was needed, Kolvin would have to reconnect everything. The process would take half an hour, but was a necessary safety precaution.

  I'd rather cause a delay in dispatching it than blow the ship to smithereens by keeping it wired together.

  "What now, Chief? Shall I return to Engineering?"

  Kolvin shook his head. "No. Come with me. We're going to find a fighter and make some modifications."

  "What kind?"

  "Build a cradle for the weird, messed-up baby we just created, I suppose."

  Chip looked at him as they walked. The Chief had a smile on his face.

  "A baby?" The Android sounded less than impressed. "Sorry, Chief, I don't understand . . ."

  * * *

  Olivia's image wavered, lines running through the transmission. It was a wonder the Intrepid could maintain any level of communications through the disruptive stellar soup of the Chimera Cluster at all.

  "How are you getting on?"

  Chang sipped her coffee. With every transmission encrypted to the highest possible level, she could speak freely with her partner, yet she held back. It was best Olivia didn't know every detail. If Grimshaw had still been alive, she might have held more faith in knowing harm wouldn't befall her lover. If there was the tiniest possibility Olivia could be exploited in some way, she couldn't have that.

  These are dangerous times. Trust no one.

  And even with their encryption, there was always the possibility of hostile ears listening down the line . . .

  "We're fine. Still looking. As you can imagine, it's nigh impossible."

  "Yes it must be."

  "Your end?"

  "Oh much the same as before. Missing you, though. Lots and lots."

  Chang smiled. "Me too. I keep having to remind myself you're not on the ship."

  An overhead announcement interrupted her. "Captain Chang to the bridge, please. Captain Chang to the bridge."

  She sighed. "I'm sorry Olivia–"

  "It's fine," Olivia said. She pressed her hand to the screen. Chang did the same. "Speak to you soon."

  "Love you."

  "Love you too, bye."

  The transmission cut off. Captain Chang stood, stretched. Took a moment in the silence of her quarters.

  This is how you deal with the stress, the responsibility: quiet. Time to yourself, even if it's five minutes. Space to breathe and gather yourself.

  Not too long, though.

  She grabbed her coffee, drained the last of it and headed for the door.

  * * *

  "Report," Chang said, assuming the Captain's chair.

  "We're detecting an energy trail," Dr. Gentry. "It's consistent with that of the Amarax."

  Up ahead, a line of planets swung slowly about a pale yellow sun. "This is the third system we've searched," Chang said. "What're the chances we strike gold this early?"

  Gentry looked up. "Oh, they're not here."

  "Huh?"

  "No! They're long gone. But they did move through here, and due to the lack of activity in this system, their trail is weak, but still visible."

  "Aha," Chang turned to Dana Oriz. "Dana, work with the Doctor to plot a course, following their wake trail."

  "Yes, Captain."

  Kyle stood next to Chang. "Doctor, you're sure this isn't from some other ship? A trading vessel or some such?"

  "I go by my data," Gentry said. "It's Namarian in origin. Whether someone out there is flying about in an ancient Namar craft is yet to be seen, however . . ."

  "Not likely," Chang said. "Plot the course, helm, follow it to the letter."

  Ensign Alanna Gordon nodded once. "Yes, Ma'am."

  Chief Kolvin arrived on the bridge. He assumed his seat at the engineering station.

  "What did I miss?" he asked.

  "The Namar have left a trail of breadcrumbs," Chang said. "Looks like all we have to do is follow."

  Banks returned to the tactical station. He activated the controls for the weapons systems and started running diagnostics. "When we get through the woods to the gingerbread house at the end, I'll be ready," he said. "We'll blow it all apart."

  Chang shared a glance with Chief Kolvin. If I have no other choice, that's precisely what we'll do.

  "Do you have it?" Gentry asked across the bridge.

  Dana looked up. "Yes. Tying it into the helm now."

  "Ensign, full speed," Chang ordered.

  7.

  Jessica wrinkled her nose at the smell of exhaust and fumes wafting from the city. A level stretch of rock separated her and Will from the outermost buildings and alleyways.

  "You smelling that pollution?"

  "I am. It's disgusting."

  "Imagine if this place had been set up on a habitable planet," Will mused. They got close, got low, readied themselves for walking in there. "No wonder we're considered a filthy species."

  "Do people actually live here? I mean other than just a night or two."

  "Yeah. Imagine it. But most of these buildings are casinos, brothels and assorted illegal fighting arenas. There's a huge star port the other side of the city, which is why we landed where we did."

  She shook her head. "Literally a hive of scum and villainy then?"

  "Pretty much."

  They headed down an alley, the sound of music, the roar of engines filling their ears until they emerged on a sidewalk. Smoke rose into the sky from a burning vehicle, crashed into the road and just left as it was. Will and Jessica walked, and she had never been so aware of her weapon in its holster. Men and women, aliens, walked past and looked them up and down, but did not say anything. Their suspicious looks were enough.

  "In a minute, we're going to get stopped," Jessica hissed.

  "No. We won't. You see, they're looking at us strangely, but the important part is that no one knows who we are. For all they know, we could be the deadliest pair this side of the galaxy."

  "True. You think we should give it some attitude?"

  Will had to stamp his urge to laugh down, right down. "That's the last thing we need, turning this into an act."

  After walking for ten minutes through the shadowy city, Will pulled Jessica int
o a side street and used his comm. to check in with the others. They were nearly in position. The pair of them continued on. For a place with so much neon overhead, it was incredibly dark on the ground. Jessica looked across the street where the entire front of a building consisted of windows with females of multiple races writhing within them, backlit by strong, pulsating, red lights.

  Lines of men – and the occasional woman – unashamedly walked in and out of the structure.

  A hover car buzzed overhead, the sound of its repulsors making a heavy whop whop whop sound as it passed.

  "There. Down the street. That's the place."

  Jessica looked. Ahead of them a squat, boxy building had been painted black all over. There was no sign, no embellishment. As much as everything else on Amity looked run down, dirty and as if it might crumble, this building in particular appeared to be solid. It didn't call attention to itself and, as much as it sat in the shadow of the other taller buildings, it was itself a part of the shadows.

  "I hate this city," Jessica said. A crowd dominated the entire street in front of them, a hive of activity from within a casino on their left. Will put his head down, stuck his hands in his pockets and hurried through them. Jessica followed suit, not making eye contact with anyone there.

  Will stopped just past the crowd. "There's the security."

  In front of the building there was a hover vehicle parked haphazardly, half of it on the sidewalk, the other half in the road. A man leaned against it, stetson pulled down over his eyes, leather cowboy boots complete with spurs. He had a holster at an angle on his hip, with two long barrelled pistols, one either side. A single, heavy door permitted entrance to the prison, and a muscle-bound heavy stood to either side, arms folded, faces set with grim hostility.

  "This way," Will whispered. Jessica followed him behind a huge dumpster overflowing with trash. He used his comm. again to check in with the others.

  "We're about to make an entrance. Get ready. Set your timers for fifteen minutes. Then do your stuff."

  "Roger," Barbie said.

  "Got it," Hawk said in his southern drawl.

  Will put the unit away and looked at Jessica. "Ready to party?"

  * * *

  Meryl set the charges against the external wall of the black building. Water ran from a broken pipe, sputtering to the ground to her left. She had to work from memory, but hers was better than most. She stepped back, admired her work and gave Barbie the thumbs up.

  "Let's hustle," the Mantipor growled and ran halfway down the alley until she reached an overturned vehicle, burned down to the frame. It would provide sufficient cover if the pair of them crouched behind it. Meryl fell in next to her.

  "How long have we got on that timer?" Meryl asked her.

  "Thirteen minutes," Barbie said.

  * * *

  Hawk peered over the top of the building. It seemed impossible to think that down there, in the smog, Jessica and Will were making their move.

  "I can't believe we're doin' this," Hawk said.

  "What? You scared of heights, mate?"

  "Ha! Don't you know what I am?" Hawk guffawed. Still, even for a pilot of his considerable gifts, he found the prospect of dropping into that murk and landing on the roof of the place where Shaw was being held a daunting one, to say the least.

  "You've used these before?"

  "Once. In basic training. Decades ago. Remember, amigo, I'm an old man."

  "Well you don't look it."

  Again, Hawk looked down. "And we're sure there's a way to get in at the top? Will there be anyone posted up there, guarding it?"

  Punk shrugged. "There's an entrance, and it shouldn't be guarded. That's not to say it won't be though. We'll see when we make the jump."

  The plan was for both Hawk and Punk to parachute silently to the roof of the building, and make a quiet entrance, navigating its innards. Exactly five minutes after their landing, Barbie and Meryl would detonate their explosives and breach the building from the outside.

  Meanwhile, Jessica and Will would be inside, in an attempt to reach Shaw and guide him through the ensuing chaos.

  "Structured chaos," was how Jessica had explained it to them.

  "Time to get these on," Punk said.

  "Right," Hawk shrugged his way into the straps of his parachute and tightened the straps around his chest and waist. "How long now?"

  "Two minutes till we jump. Eight till Barbie blows the building a new exit."

  * * *

  "Can't come here," big brute on the right said, stepping in their path. "Turn around or go the other side of the street."

  "I'm afraid we can't do that," Jessica said.

  Stetson looked up, his eyes still masked by the shadow of the hat, but she could feel them burrowing into her as he watched the exchange.

  "Oh yeah?" brute on the left snarled.

  "We've come to see Matz," Will said.

  Stetson spoke up. "Nobody sees X. Now beat it before I get Left and Right here to go to town."

  "You're being serious?" Jessica asked. "That's their names? Left and Right?"

  "That's right, little sister," Stetson said, knocking the hat back a few inches, revealing his face. Beneath the shade of the brim he did not have eyes. Where they had been shone the unblinking red lights of ocular implants. "Not that it matters, you both keep arguing the toss."

  "Maybe we should move on . . ." Will said, turning as if to leave. His eye caught Jessica's and it was enough to signal to her what was about to happen.

  She went for her gun. At the same time, Will flicked his left arm out, revealing a device strapped beneath his wrist. It let loose a haze of blue light. Both Left and Right tried to cover their faces, but it was too late. The stun took hold and they slumped to the floor together.

  Stetson drew his sidearm, but Jessica already had the drop on him. "Go on. Try it."

  He smiled. "Guess you got me."

  "Drop it."

  Stetson's gun clattered to the ground.

  "Jess, step back."

  She did, and Will fired the same device at Stetson, whose face twisted in a combination of rage and surprise. He swaggered left, clutched the side of the car, then slid to the ground, his hat askew. Will bent down, plucked the stetson from his head. "Thanks," he said and put it on himself.

  "Suits you," Jessica opened the door and peered inside. It looked dark and empty in there, a foyer leading to a corridor, doors on either side. "Doesn't seem very high tech."

  "Don't believe your eyes at first glance," Will said. He stood in the threshold and directed her gaze to the upper right hand corner of the foyer. A camera with a gun of some kind beneath it watched over the corridor. "Good job I've got another trick up my sleeve."

  She shook her head in disbelief. "They are actually up your sleeve, aren't they?"

  "Yep. Where else?"

  He extended his right wrist, and next to his comm. unit was another bracelet. He pressed a button on the top of it, and the camera in the corner drooped down, pointing to the floor. The little green light that had been blinking next to it went dark.

  Will moved, Jessica following close behind. He removed his weapon and took it off the safety. "Remember Punk hacked their power network, then did the same for the security grid?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, this just deactivated all security across the whole city. The whole shebang has gone down. Trouble is, I don't know for how long, so we have to move quick."

  The door banged shut behind them. They flew down the corridor, Will not bothering to check behind the doors. "What about those three outside? Won't they arouse suspicion?"

  "Ha! Here? Are you kidding me?"

  "I suppose you're right."

  He spoke into his comm. unit. "Punk, Hawk. Do your thing."

  "Yes, guv!"

  "Remember, top down. Sweep through the building."

  "Got it."

  Will paused at the set of doors at the end of the corridor. "Are you ready, Jess? There's no telling who might
be on the other side of this door."

  "Ready as I'll ever be."

  "Barbie? Meryl? Are you in position?"

  "Check."

  "Give me a sixty second countdown, then blow that wall."

  Jessica took a deep breath. Will used the access panel next to the doors and they slid open.

  8.

  60 . . . 59 . . . 58 . . . 57 . . . 56 . . . 55 . . . 54 . . .

  The doors opened on a large room, crates on the floor, stacked haphazardly. A line of large cages dominated the right hand side of the room. To the left, there was what appeared to be an operating table, though Jessica seriously doubted that Matz were in the habit of performing medical procedures on their prisoners.

  Farther down from that, directly beneath an overhanging light, a group of men stood with their backs to the two intruders. One spoke into a comm. unit not dissimilar to the one Will was using. The others appeared to be playing a game of some kind.

  . . . 48 . . . 47 . . . 46 . . . 45 . . . 44 . . . 43 . . . 42 . . .

  Will and Jessica ducked behind one of the large crates. Jessica looked around the corner of it, to get a look at the cages.

  "There's a Klebin in the first one."

  Will looked over her shoulder. "Middle one's empty. He's gotta be down the end, then."

  "What do you want to do? It's your call," she told him.

  He licked his lips. The explosives will go off against that wall there. If we can hang here for the next thirty seconds, the blast should take them out of action. Then we're free to work with that last cage and get Shaw out of here.

  "If he's in the cage. I can't see."

  She went to move out and get a better look but he grabbed her arm. "No. Let's wait. If the Klebin spots you, he might raise the alarm."

  "True."

  "Anyway, Punk and Hawk will be on the roof by now."

  * * *

  Not quite.

  Punk had already landed, falling silently with the parachute, his soft paws on the grit covering the flat roof. Hawk circled on his way down, the whole experience a completely new one for him.

  He'd practiced powerless descent in training. But that wasn't just a few years ago, but decades.

  Before most of this lot were born. That's how old I am.