The soldier nodded his head, his face pale. The Major looked around and saw that the rest of the Marines in sight were either nodding or looking down at their feet. I hate to use those bastards to frighten the men, he thought, keeping a glare on his face. But they are at least useful for something, if not their stated purpose. And there were Inquisitors onboard the fleet, ready, willing and able to break any man or woman accused of heresy or other acts against the Church.
“Then if that is understood, let’s get to work,” said the Major, his voice rising to a roar at the end. The men nodded again and started to move out to scour the jungle, and bring its most dangerous beast to bay.
* * *
Pandora knew that she was trapped, that there were red dots all around her position now. Not really what I had planned, she thought, going through her options and only seeing one. To cut her way out of through enemy and escape into the jungle. Nothing to it but to do it, she thought, steeling herself, gathering her courage and pushing the fear that made her want to hide in the shadows to the background. There would be time enough for shaking later. Now it was time for action.
At least my friends got away, she thought as she headed for what looked like the thinnest part of the encirclement. She had been following them on her pizzos. They were tucked away in another cave that seemed almost too good to be true, with entrances that could only be seen when the observer was on top of it, up steep inclines from the jungle floor.
Pandora came rocketing out of the brush, her mouth forming an oh shit as soon as she saw the disposition of the Marines. There were a dozen troopers within sight, all pointing their weapons right at her. One had a laser, one a dedicated grenade launcher, the others mag rifles, which did not concern her as much as the two heavy weapons.
The laser tracked in on her and a few grenades burst on her armor, the majority of them missing and exploding in the jungle behind her. She was able to get the sword in the way of the laser before it found a rent in her light amp protection. She was headed for the laser armed trooper, readying herself to move her sword in an offensive maneuver, when something hard hit her in the right leg. Four more heavy impacts hit her legs, then one to her arm. A schematic of the suit came up on the HUD, showing damage to the movement elements of her limbs. Another hit to her left leg and she was almost falling to the ground, staggering and sliding through the dirt. They figured it out, she thought, feeling numb with the realization that she was going to fail. Their rounds were not hard enough to penetrate the thickness of the armor, but they could cause enough damage to destroy motors, power runs and transmission lines through that armor.
Pandora put everything she had into hitting the line, her sword swinging to take the laser gunner in the side in a cross, then reversing to a backhand that killed one of the riflemen. She burst through the line and into the brush, when two more rounds impacted her legs and the right member froze up. With a cry she fell to the ground, ordering the armor to open on the way. She landed on her back and pulled herself from the armor, hoping she could speed away into the brush before they got a bead on her.
She was on her feet and taking her first step when her muscles began to go slack and the world unfocused around her. Sonics was her last clear thought as she crumpled to the ground. She rolled over, watching the armored men walk toward her, wondering if they were going to kill her, hoping that they would. She tried with all her strength to get up from the ground, to at least do something that would force them to kill her. The last thing her blurry vision saw was the butt of a rifle descending toward her face. Then total blackness and the void.
* * *
“Good work,” said Major Dronning Dumas, looking down on the unconscious form of the woman. She is beautiful, he thought, taking in the red hair and classic features. Then he noticed the large bruise on her forehead that was deepening on her fair skin as he watched. “What happened there?” he asked, pointing at the bruise.
“Don’t know sir,” said the Senior Sergeant that had led the capture. “She must have hit something when she fell.”
“What’s the verdict?” he asked the medic who was kneeling beside the woman, running a scanner over her slim form. He shot a look at the Sergeant to let the man know there would be hell to pay if the prisoner was brain damaged.
“She will be fine,” said the man, looking up from the scanner with a smiling face. “Maybe a concussion. But nothing we can’t clear up in a medical bay in a couple of hours.”
The Senior Sergeant let out a breath of relief, and the Major glared back at him for a moment, letting the man know this incident would not be forgotten. But how do I expect them to act when she killed so many of their mess mates. I’m lucky they didn’t accidentally shoot her. He looked over at another Sergeant and nodded his head.
The Sergeant held a rifle with a bulbous attachment on the front of the barrel. He pulled the trigger and played the emission over the woman’s body, starting at the head and working down to the toes, then moving back up to the crown of the head. “That should do it,” said the man with a grin. “If she had any nanites in her they’re dead now. And I don’t think any implants she has will be functioning either.”
If she only had our tech I would believe the last part, thought the Major, nodding his head, then looking at the two troopers with a gurney. But she has the tech of the Donut, so there’s no telling how well shielded her implants are.
The men picked the woman up and put her on the gurney, not bothering to be gentle with someone they saw as a mass murderer of their people. They picked up the gurney and a six man guard formed around them.
“Make sure that she gets back to the landing field in one piece,” said Major Dumas to the NCO in charge. “I hold all of you responsible for her safety. Understood?”
Nodding heads and shouted answers let the Major know that they knew what was expected of them, and they knew there would be hell to pay if they didn’t get her back to the ship alive and ready to answer questions. Questions he was sure she would answer once she was introduced to the Inquisitors.
“You men get her armor back to the field,” said the Major to another quartet of troopers that stood by with another, heavier gurney. The men went to work picking up the suit and securing it to the carryall.
“What about this?” asked an NCO, holding the strange curved sword the woman had used so effectively against them. He put an armored finger against the blade.
“Don’t,” yelled Dumas, too late, as the edge cut through the armor covered finger, which dropped to the ground, while the NCO cried out and the sword fell from his other hand.
“Look after him, doc,” said the Major as he bent down to pick up the blade carefully by the hilt. He looked at the sword in wonder for a moment, recognizing that this was technology on a level with the suit. He looked over at the suit that was now on the carryall and saw what he was looking for, the sheath that the wonder weapon had been carried in. For a moment he was tempted to take that sheath and keep the sword, but thought better of it after that moment. This was something the R & D people needed to look at. With regret he carried the sword to the woman’s armored suit and carefully sheathed it.
“Get that thing back to the landing field,” he told a corporal who was in charge of that detail. “Make sure it gets on a shuttle up to the flagship.”
Dumas turned away and looked at the dead who were being piled up in the clearing for eventual extraction. He had paid a heavy price for the woman and her equipment. He hoped it was worth it, and that the glory would come back to him.
* * *
Watcher woke in a daze, the fogginess of a concussion in his awareness as he attempted to focus on the here and now. I should keep the damned helmet on my head when in a combat situation, he thought, trying to focus through blurry eyes on the situation. He looked down at the matrix battery box that was lying on the floor, his hand reaching up to rub the knot on his crown. Definitely need to keep that helmet on my head.
He noted that his three remaining ve
hicles were now twenty kilometers from the place they had been when the near explosion had almost flipped his tank and sent the box into his head, and his head into the hard inner hull of the vehicle. Maybe we should put some padding in here as well, he thought, feeling his mind start to clear. He knew whatever damage had been done would be quickly repaired by his nanites. But maybe making sure such damage would not be done in the future would also be a good idea.
So they are still back there bombing the jungle, he thought, watching on his sat pickup as the aircraft circled over the area dropping their explosives. As he watched one squadron of aircraft circled out while another moved in to keep up the bombing. Scaring the hell out of some wildlife, he thought, a smile on his face. The smile fled when he saw some transport airships come into the picture and hover over the bombed out jungle. Armored men dropped from the transports and fell slowly to the ground. Now they’re searching for me, he thought, getting his small command moving again. Well, they can look all they want, maybe even get some scraps from the other tanks, but I will be elsewhere.
His head was feeling much better as he moved through the jungle, determined to stay on the floor for the next couple of hours despite the time it took. He wouldn’t do Pandora any good dying in an attack. He also thought of what other aid he might be able to get here on the planet, and sent a signal back through the pyramid to the Donut. Soon he would go back up into the high canopy, and hopefully make much better time, if he could avoid attention.
* * *
Pandora woke to a splitting headache and confusion. Her last memory was of the rifle butt coming down on her, and she knew that it had struck her in the head. Fortunately her bionanites had done yeoman’s work in repairing the damage. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to give away that she was conscious to the people carrying her on the swaying gurney. She checked her systems and was surprised to find that some things weren’t working. Her internal implants were still functional, with the exception of her com link and her internal processing module. But most surprising was the lack of response from her mechanical nanites. They were all off line, to a one.
They must have hosed me down with EMP, she thought. That was the only explanation. Her bionanite systems were still intact, which was a plus, but the little guys, controlled by her glandular system, were really not of much use for anything other than repairing cellular damage and enhancing her immune and filtration systems. Except they can take apart mechanical nanites and rebuild them. With a thought she triggered the hormones that would give the bios their instructions. It wouldn’t be long before she had functional mechanonanites again in her system, which could build more, until she had what she needed.
“She’s awake,” said one of the men around her as they put her gurney down. “I saw her eyes twitch.”
“Open your eyes, bitch,” said one of the men, nudging her in the side. “I said, open your eyes,” repeated the same man, kicking her in earnest, and drawing an involuntary grunt from the woman.
Pandora opened her eyes to look at five or six men, all glaring down at her as they removed their armor. They were in the darkened space of what had to be one of the surviving buildings on the Suryan landing field. I really don’t like the look of this¸ she thought of what appeared to be an ensuing gang rape. The men continued to strip to their undergarments, then open up their pants, pulling their penises into view.
The woman knew that she didn’t have to worry about STDs or pregnancy, thanks to her bionanite system. That didn’t mean she was looking forward to this, or that she would just let it happen. She pulled hard against the plastic restraints that held her hands in front of her. At least they have to take the damned things off my ankles, she thought, hoping that she was correct in that respect.
“We’re really going to enjoy this you bitch,” said the man who looked like the senior of the group. “Maybe you’ll enjoy it too.”
Fat chance, thought Pandora, watching as the man moved to her ankles with a knife in hand and a wicked smile on his face.
“We shouldn’t be doing this, Sergeant,” said one of the younger troopers. “I mean, the Major said he wanted her delivered intact. And they got to be waiting for us at the landing field.”
“Shut up, youngster,” said the Sergeant, slicing through the ankle restraints while looking at Pandi with a leer. “If you don’t want any of this prime female, get your ass outside and keep watch with Stephanis.”
The man stood up, his erection sticking out of the opening of his pants. He started to bend over, his hands reaching for Pandi’s pants, his intentions clear.
Watcher had insisted that Pandora accept biological augmentation if she were to go traipsing around the Supersytem, and eventually beyond. Her life span had been quintupled as a result of those modifications, which was the best of the long term benefits. But her biological efficiency had been more than doubled as well. She was faster and stronger than before the aug work. Her body processed food much more efficiently, and manufactured ATP through a greater number of more efficient mitochondria. Her bones were harder, much more resistant to breaking. In her own time she would have been considered an athletic freak, if not a superwoman. And Watcher had insisted that she learn how to use that body to cause maximum mayhem to anyone who threatened her.
The Sergeant grabbed the top of her bodysuit pants, worked them free of the top, and pulled, sliding them over her thighs, revealing her legs and panties. He continued sliding them down and over her feet, then threw the pants to the side. “Wonder what’s under here,” he said, reaching for her panties.
If you don’t know what’s under there you’re a moron, thought Pandi, her eyes locked on his erection. They were only locked there because that would be her first target.
Pandora brought both of her rear limbs back in a blur, cocking both legs, then shooting the left foot into the groin of the Sergeant. He woofed out his air and crumpled over, and her right leg pushed her heel into his face. The man fell backwards, hands still reaching for his groin despite his lack of consciousness. While the Sergeant fell over onto his back Pandi brought both legs up and kicked herself to an upright position, her eyes searching and prioritizing targets as she landed on her feet, staying in a crouch.
To her senses the people around her were moving in slow motion, like drunks in a bar fight. The closest one to her became the first target, and she leaned over and sent a side kick into that man’s stomach, followed by a snap kick to his groin. He won’t be thinking about taking any pussy for a while, she thought as the man fell to the ground, grabbing his groin. She spun into a roundhouse kick that caught the next man in the jaw, then swung her linked hands into the face of a fourth, knocking him from his feet and into the wall.
I better watch it, she thought, throwing a spin kicked that missed her target and made her land on her feet unbalanced. She continued the motion, using momentum to regain balance as her rear leg came around in a spinning hook kick to catch a man in the side. She sent a snap kick to his groin, her favorite target at the moment, then turned and snapped a kick into the knee of a charging man. The man screamed, and she sent a side kick into his face, then stomach, then back to his knee as she jumped in the air to bring her whole body weight onto the thigh above the joint. She felt and heard a satisfying crack followed by a scream that told her the knee joint was destroyed.
Pandi jumped over the falling form of her last victim, pulling outward with her hands and trying to break the bonds. The plastic stretched just a bit and then clamped back down, and she knew she wouldn’t be breaking that handcuff anytime soon.
“Get her,” yelled one of the men still on his feet.
“Get her?” called back another man in a panicked voice. “How we gonna stop her from getting us?”
A shot cracked by Pandora’s ear, and she spun around, anticipating a round that would take her down. Instead she saw two men wrestling over a mag pistol. “We’re supposed to bring her in alive,” yelled the man who wasn’t holding the pistol in his hands.
/> “The hell with that,” yelled the other man. “We fuck around and she’s going to kill us all.”
Pandi looked toward the door, turning and starting to sprint toward it, hands reaching out to grab the handle. She didn’t know what waited on the other side, an empty space between buildings, or a drill square full of men. She only knew she didn’t want to be here, and her only hope was to get out of this room and run like hell.
Shit, she thought, as the vibrations of a sonic stunner played over her. Her muscles relaxed to the point where they would not hold her weight, and her body slid to the ground. Her vision blurred and consciousness left, her last thought that she would wake in a place a whole lot worse than this.
Chapter Fourteen
Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less.
Robert E. Lee
Pandora woke up with pain shooting through every part of her body. Not woke up, she thought. Come to. She could feel the drugs in her system, and was sure they had shot her up with things meant to sedate her and break her resistance to questioning. Good luck with that last, she thought, a thin smile crossing her face. She had been conditioned to resist any such efforts depending on drugs or mind probes.
She concentrated through the drugs to her pain, assessing her injuries. Her face hurt all the way to the back of her skull, and she had a vague recollection of a rifle butt coming toward her, again. The sore ribs must have been from getting kicked multiple times, and the sharp pain that came with each breath would of course be caused by one or more broken bones in her rib cage. And the pain between her legs could only come from a forcible rape. She felt her stomach flip over at that thought, of men using her against her will, taking out their anger and hate on her. At least I won’t get pregnant from any fanatic SOB’s semen, she thought, almost exulting in the thought of her bionanites attacking and killing the little things the men had put in her body. And when I find you I’m going to kill you, was her next thought. She repeated a calming mantra in her head, ignoring the pain of her hurts and getting to a place that she needed to be, a place where she could think and plan.
To Well And Back (The Deep Dark Well) Page 15