Thunde adjusted the lightning stick he held before turning in the opposite direction and tracking the next Fraken.
His end was swifter than his colleague’s, and Thunde now hurried back to the unguarded door, certain Jessie was behind it.
When he reached the door, he discovered it was locked, and no amount of swiping his hand across the access panel gained him entry.
Taking aim with the lightning stick, Thunde blasted the access panel with the laser, and a shower of sparks shot out. He shoved the lightning stick into the edge of the door and began to lever it open. It shifted a few inches, giving him enough room to get his fingers inside. That was all he needed, as he put his weight against the door and shoved.
As he did so, he spotted a smaller Fraken facing him, his teeth bared and a laser scalpel in one hand.
But the Fraken was not what made Thunde’s heart thud in his chest. It was the sight of Jessie on a table, blood seeping from wounds on her abdomen, and a large red lump on the side of her head.
With a shout of rage, he rushed into the room, grabbed the Fraken by the throat, and tossed him to one side.
“Thunde!” Jessie choked out the word as her tear-stained face turned to him.
“I’m here; you’re safe.” Thunde grabbed her hand and then tore away the binding around her wrist. He pulled her into a hard embrace. “What have they done to you?”
“Nothing yet.” Jessie clung to Thunde’s shoulders. “But we need to get out of here. There will be more coming.”
Thunde nodded as he released his hold on Jessie, forcing himself not to look too closely at her injuries. He yanked the bindings off her ankles and she jumped off the table, staggering slightly as she did so.
Thunde wrapped an arm around her waist. “Take your time.”
“We don’t have any time to spare,” said Jessie. “Whiplash is in here somewhere.”
Thunde’s gaze shot to the door. “Then we need to go.”
Cabula groaned from his sprawled position on the ground. “You’ll never get away. There are troops everywhere in the game.”
Thunde stomped over to him and pressed his booted foot onto Cabula’s neck. “How many?”
Cabula gave a choked laugh. “I’m telling you nothing that will help you.”
Thunde growled and pressed his foot down harder.
“He’s a Fraken scientist, not a fighter,” said Jessie.
“Makes him just as bad as the troops,” said Thunde.
Cabula grunted. “Better than our troops.”
“Tell me about the Fraken on the ground,” said Thunde.
“You’ll get nothing from me,” said Cabula.
“Maybe we don’t have to get out of the game by going through the barrier,” said Jessie, “at least, not how it’s been planned.”
Thunde looked over at her. “Plan B?”
“Yes! Plan B. We’re on a Fraken ship,” said Jessie. “Let’s fly out of here.”
Chapter 24
Jessie fought against the terror and tears that wanted to overwhelm her. Cabula had cut into her abdomen three times, and she could still feel the sting of the laser as it had sliced through her flesh. But she had to keep it together a little longer. And now Thunde was here, she felt better. He was back by her side, and they’d be able to get free.
She watched as Thunde dispatched Cabula with a blade and then turned to her. She should feel sickened by watching him die, but Cabula had been a monster and had enjoyed tormenting her as much as Whiplash had. His death was deserved.
“Taking this ship is a possibility,” said Thunde. “But we still have the game force field to breach.”
“Let’s get to the ship’s controls first,” said Jessie. “We can worry about the force field when we’re on our way. The ship has weapons we can use if there are more ground troop coming.”
Thunde caught Jessie by the wrist and pulled her in for a lip bruising kiss. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d let the Fraken take you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“You’re here now.” Jessie pulled back from Thunde’s kiss. “And you did save me.” She glanced down at Cabula. “When I think what he wanted to do...”
Thunde kissed her again. “It’s time for us to get out of here.”
Jessie grabbed a laser scalpel from the equipment tray before they dashed to the door. Thunde leaned out, checking no Fraken were nearby, then grabbed her hand and pulled her out and along the corridor.
“Do you know which way to go?” whispered Jessie as they hurried along stark dark grey corridors, the floor lit from underneath with a pale purple glow.
“I know the layout of these Fraken vessels,” said Thunde. “The pilot’s station is this way.”
They turned down another corridor, and Thunde pushed Jessie through an open doorway and pinned her against the wall.
She held her breath as the sound of hurried feet dashed past them.
“They must have been alerted to the fight in the medical room,” said Thunde.
They sped onwards to the end of the corridor before turning right and coming up against a sealed door.
Thunde smashed the cudgel end of the lightning stick against the access panel before shoving his hands into the wiring and yanking it out. “No time for subtleties.” He shoved the lightning stick against the door and levered it open.
Jessie looked around the inside of the pilots’ console as Thunde secured the door behind them. There were two seats and a swathe of blank display screens in front of her. The window blast shield was lowered, and Jessie could see a group of Fraken approaching the vessel.
“Do you know how to work one of these?” asked Jessie, as Thunde stopped by her side.
He scratched his chin as his gaze ran over the blank display. “This is new technology. I’m used to older Fraken vessels. I have worked on several simulations of Fraken technology, but this is more advanced.”
“You can’t fly us out of here?” Jessie kept studying the displays. She’d seen this before; the layout looked familiar.
“I didn’t say that,” said Thunde. “But it will be a bumpy ride.”
Jessie hopped into one of the seats and clipped the harness into place around her. “I’ve seen the schematics of a Fraken fighter vessel. This is how you get the power going.” She slid both palms swiftly against a blank display and it illuminated.
Thunde shot her a surprised glance as he joined her in the adjacent seat and buckled in. “I didn’t think you were experienced with space travel.”
“You don’t need to experience something to know how to use it.” Jessie tapped the side of her head. “Books and theory are all stored in here. Between the two of us, we can get out.”
Thunde smiled at her. “I think you’re right.” He spent a few seconds examining the display panel. “There’s plenty of fuel, and this looks like the coordinates log.” He pointed towards a series of numbers on a panel.
Jessie nodded; she understood what she was seeing. Her gaze swept over the display panel, and she slid a finger across the locking mechanisms. “That will seal the Fraken out so they can’t get on the ship.”
“Good thinking,” said Thunde. He moved his hands across the display panel, and the ship rumbled to life beneath them, the steady throb of the engine rattling the metal.
“We should get the blast shield up.” Jessie saw several Fraken raise their lightning sticks towards the ship. “They must know something’s wrong.”
“You find that. I’ll focus on getting the ship airborne.”
Jessie sucked in air as she scanned across the display panel. It was all symbols and numbers, and she couldn’t figure out which one was the blast shield.
Although she couldn’t find the blast shield controls, she did recognize the weapons system. Turning her seat to the left, she scrolled through the symbols, tested a few options, and a blast of laser shot out the front of the ship, scattering the Fraken.
“Your aim was off,” said Thunde.
; “Since I didn’t know where the laser would be shooting from, I did a good job.” Jessie scanned the outside and couldn’t see any Fraken.
“You did an amazing job.” Thunde gave her knee a brief squeeze.
“Now, get us out of here,” said Jessie, “before I hit the wrong symbol and set the self-destruct sequence.”
Thunde chuckled as the ship rocked from side to side before shooting into the air.
Jessie’s stomach felt like it had been left on the ground due to the speed of ascent, but she let out a whoop of delight as the ground shot away. “I’ll deal with the game force field.”
“You can disable it?” Thunde continued to navigate the vessel higher, his gaze fixed on the skyline.
“I’m going to try.” Jessie’s forehead wrinkled as she scrolled through data on the ship’s display. “There must be a way the Fraken lower it or distort it to get their ships through.”
Thunde ran his hand over the display panel, his finger hovering over a symbol. “I need to contact Axen, tell him we’ve found another way out.”
Jessie glanced at him. “I sent the message through the comms post. He should be on his way to the game.”
“We don’t want him coming if he’s no longer required,” said Thunde.
“He can meet us on the other side,” said Jessie.
A blast from several lightning sticks pinged off the ship’s hull.
“Get the shields up. I’ll update Axen.”
Jessie snapped Thunde a salute. “I’m on it, Captain.”
***
Despite the danger surrounding them, it felt good to be working with Jessie, to see her so sure of what she was doing as they fought side-by-side.
Thunde focused on the comms unit on the ship, scanning through the channels until he found what he thought was a secure one. He rolled his shoulders and opened the channel. “Axen, this is Thunde.”
He waited and then repeated the message. Axen would be scanning channels for the latest information on what was going on in the game, but Thunde couldn’t be certain he’d get this message.
He tried a third time, and after an agonizing wait, there was a hiss of signal. Someone had heard him.
“Thunde, is that you?” It was Urel, a Deorg Axen worked with.
“Correct. Is it safe to talk?”
“For now, but we won’t have long,” said Urel. “What are your coordinates? We received your message, but lost sight of you in the actual game.”
“We’ve got a new way out.” Thunde glanced over at Jessie and saw her hair pushed off her face and her tongue poking out as she concentrated on the Fraken technology. “We’re on a Fraken ship.”
There was silence, then the channel crackled again. “You stole a ship!” This wasn’t Urel, but Thunde’s warrior brother, Lazet.
“Good to hear your voice, Quark,” said Thunde.
“You didn’t think I’d gone and gotten myself killed, did you?”
“As if that’s possible.” Thunde grinned just as the blast shield shot into place. He reached over and squeezed Jessie’s shoulder.
“Still need us to come get you and your girl out?” asked Lazet.
“Wouldn’t mind some assistance on the other side,” said Thunde. “We can get out of the game, but might have a chase on our hands when we do so.”
“Wish we could oblige,” said Lazet. “But we’re a long way from you, and our only ship is out of operation at the moment. Let me key in our location, and you can set a course straight towards us. And send through your ship’s identification code, as well; that will ensure we don’t shoot you out of the sky when you approach in a Fraken vessel.”
“You’d better not shoot us,” growled Thunde.
“As if I’d do that to you,” laughed Lazet.
Thunde grabbed the arms of his seat as the ship lurched in the air and spun towards Jessie. “What are you doing?”
“Getting us out of here,” said Jessie. “I figured out the basic controls, and now the blast shield is up, we need to move. Have you got the coordinates from your friends, yet?”
“They’re coming through now.” Thunde watched the coordinates spill across the screen.
“Then that’s where we need to go,” said Jessie.
“Haven’t you forgotten the force field that’s trapping us in here?” asked Thunde.
“I’ve not forgotten. I’m going to disrupt the vibrational frequency of the force field. It should disrupt it sufficiently so we can fly straight through.”
“That’s a big assumption,” said Thunde. “If the force field is still intact when we hit it, it will destroy the ship.”
“Have you any other suggestions?” asked Jessie.
Thunde looked over at Jessie and saw the sweat on her forehead, her eyes scrunched together as she concentrated on the controls in front of her. She was an extraordinary woman, and he realized, at that second, he trusted her to get them out of this game.
She looked over at him and raised her eyebrows. “Well? Do you want to risk it?”
“Let’s do it,” said Thunde. “It’s time for us to leave this game.”
Chapter 25
Jessie’s hands shook as she slid them along the control panels, guiding the ship ever closer to the hazy force field in front of them. She skimmed her fingers rapidly across the controls, accessing the frequency of the force field, and manipulating it as they approached. She licked her lips and shook her hands out. They would have one chance to get this right. If she messed this up, they would crash and burn.
She felt Thunde’s hand upon her shoulder and instantly calmed.
“Just focus on what you’re doing,” said Thunde. “You’ve done this before. You’ve managed to destroy Fraken technology with your clever use of my laser pen. This force field is the same. You know what you need to do.”
Jessie swallowed her fear and nodded. “It might be a good idea to weaken the force field with the ship's lasers. Think you can aim a concentrated blast in the direction we’re going?”
“Happy to help.” Thunde gave her shoulder one last squeeze before turning his seat towards the controls and opening the weapons array.
Jessie heard the lasers activate on the front of the ship, and a few seconds later, a steady blast of laser shot out in front of them.
“We’re close,” she said. “The force field is reacting to the vibrational alterations I’m making to it. It should be enough for us to get the ship through, but it will be a rough ride.”
“I don’t mind a few bumps, so long as we get out.”
“The odds are in our favor,” said Jessie. “But this is my first time flying a real spaceship.”
“You’re doing great,” said Thunde, as he kept the lasers blasting at the force field. “How am I doing? Am I good enough for you?”
Jessie flashed Thunde a smile, amazed her warrior was asking if he was good enough. He was so much more than she’d ever hoped for, and her heart swelled as he caught her gaze and grinned at her. “Keep the lasers blasting on that spot, and I’ll focus the interference on that position, as well, and aim the ship straight for it.”
Thunde did as ordered, and Jessie continued to swipe her fingers across the console, testing the boundaries of the force field, and seeing which vibrational frequency weakened it. She wiped her hand across her forehead, as they shot closer and closer.
A blast from the ground made the ship shudder.
“Don’t worry; the ship's force field is in place,” said Thunde. “The Fraken won’t have anything on the ground that can destroy us. Once we’re through here, we can activate the cloaking mechanisms, and they’ll never find us.”
“Fraken ships have cloaking?” Jessie shot a surprised look at Thunde.
“You humans are so primitive.” Thunde gave her a wicked smile. “There is so much I’m going to teach you when we get into space together.”
Jessie let a shudder of pleasure slide through her at the thought of spending more time with Thunde alone in space. He would hav
e a lot to teach her, but she had a few things she wanted to teach him as well. She bit her bottom lip and dismissed the thoughts of being alone with him and out of danger. She had to focus on getting out first. Until they were out of this game, there was no point thinking about a future with Thunde, thinking about his hands on her naked body, or what his tongue would feel like as it caressed her thighs.
“Almost there,” said Thunde. “The lasers are weakening the force field.”
Jessie shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Combined with the signal disruption I’m sending out, it should be enough.”
“Should be?”
“First time I’ve done this,” said Jessie.
Thunde reached over and grabbed her hand. “We’ll get through. You can do this.” He kissed the back of her hand before letting go.
Jessie let out a deep shuddering breath, focused on the force field, and sent another blast of disruption into it. She could see the field shifting color and warping before her eyes. It didn’t look like it had broken completely but should be flexible enough for the ship to move through. Any second now, they were going to discover if they really were free.
Thunde kept the lasers on the force field, but there was nothing more they could do. Jessie gritted her teeth, her eyes glued to the force field as they reached the boundary edge. It was now or never.
The ship shuddered as it reached the force field and slowed. Jessie couldn’t breathe as she felt the engine protesting. Had she got it wrong? Was the vibrational disruption not enough to damage the force field?
Abruptly, the ship started moving again, sliding slowly as if it was fighting through something sticky.
“It’s working,” said Thunde.
“Only just,” said Jessie.
“It’s enough,” said Thunde. “We’re getting through.”
The ship continued to shudder, and the engines whined as the force field grabbed hold of the ship as it moved through it.
“Let me give it one final blast,” said Jessie. “Maybe now that we’re partially through, we’ve weakened it even more.” She sent out another explosion of vibrational distortion, and that was it; the ship began to slide faster and faster. The shuddering stopped, and they shot out the other side.
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