Long Shot

by Christopher Williams

  “But it’ll never happen,” Martin protested. He was wide-eyed now, looking anxious.

  “You can’t think of a way to smuggle us on board via your shuttle?” Susan asked. It was the first time she had spoken and there had to be a reason. She must want to see if she could focus his thoughts on their objective.

  “No,” Martin said emphatically and shook his head. “The shuttle crews are sealed in the cockpits and can’t even step out onto the hangar. The main body of the shuttle is one big cargo bay, meaning there’s no place to hide. The hangar on the transport is well lit and they have guards posted like every five feet. Even if you got onto the hangar, you wouldn’t make it more than ten yards or so.”

  Aaron glanced sideways at Susan and she gave another of the small nods. So, that meant Martin was telling the truth or at least as far as Susan can tell. “There might be another way,” he said after a moment’s silence. “Tell me,” he said, focusing his attention back on Martin, “is there a way that we can ride up on the shuttle, but somehow exit it before you dock?”

  “Before we dock?” Martin repeated and then shook his head. “There’s not an airlock, so you couldn’t leave the ship without killing everyone on board. Besides that, there’s another problem. Once we land on the hangar, they connect to a computer port on the side of the shuttle and pull a computer dump.”

  “So?” Sean asked.

  “So if you ride up in the shuttle and then open the hatch, there will be a computer record of it and they’ll see that in the computer dump. They look for anything unusual.”

  Damn! Aaron thought. He was beginning to think that this mission might not be possible, at least without more time and intel. It had always been a long shot, anyway.

  “Is there any way for us to safely ride up on the outside of the shuttle?” Susan asked.

  “Like what?” Martin asked.

  “I don’t know. Is there any kind of cargo hold or anything like that?”

  Martin looked at her for several long moments, apparently lost in thought. “Well, there aren’t any exterior cargo holds, but there is a hatch that allows access to the environmental systems.”

  Susan was still watching Martin closely. “What’s the catch?”

  Martin sighed. “The environmental section is not pressurized, so you’d be exposed to vacuum and there’s a sensor on the hatch.”

  “I’m not worried about the vacuum or the sensor. We can deactivate the sensor and wear spacesuits. What I’m worried about is the heat and radiation from takeoff.”

  Martin looked pleasantly surprised. “Well, that section is shielded. If you can get around the sensor and you have spacesuits, then you might’ve just found your way aboard.”

  “Just like that you’re in?” Aaron asked. He was surprised by the ease with which Martin had agreed. “You’re willing to trust people you don’t even know.”

  Taking a deep breath, Martin nodded. “When you knocked on the door, I thought you were coming to arrest me or take my children away. You cannot imagine how that feels.” He paused and looked around at the group. “You get my wife and kids out tonight and I’ll do whatever you want, even if I don’t make it back.”

  Chapter 19

  The next day and a half passed in frantic preparation. The very next day after Martin agreed to help them, Xim left with his family aboard one of Locke’s ships. Helena Ross had been reluctant to leave with the strangers, but she wasn’t a fool. She also knew what was about to happen to them, and she realized that a small chance is better than no chance.

  The computer programmer, Michael Long, remained behind to finish up pieces of the computer code that the group would need. He and Sean blasted off in another one of Locke’s ships barely two hours before the rest were to board the shuttle. The last thing that Sean did, before boarding his transport, was to send an encrypted message with the coordinates where Adam was to rendezvous with the prison ship.

  They had a plan now, foolhardy as it might be, they had a plan.

  Aaron, Susan, Russell, and Jessica rode the tube from the apartment complex to the warehouse district. They didn’t speak much, but they didn’t need to. They had all been in similar situations and knew all the things that could go wrong.

  They each carried a large duffel bag, and the contents were all pretty much the same. They, of course, took a couple of weapons each, clothes, spacesuit, rations, and several small computers. Russell’s bag also had a thruster pack for his space suit. In addition, they each wore a computer stick around their neck. Each computer stick had a complete copy of the computer programs that Michael had written for them.

  Leaving the tube, they walked a short distance to a large warehouse which took up several city blocks. Aaron led the way up to a locked door and rang a buzzer.

  After a moment the door opened and a big burly man leaned out. He had a full head of curly brown hair and a beard. He blinked at them for several moments and then asked, “Are you Sean’s friends?”

  “Yeah,” Aaron answered and then after a moment of standing there he added, “are you going to let us in or not?”

  “Sean said you’d have something for me.”

  “We do,” Aaron agreed, “but I would prefer to hand it over once we’re inside.”

  The man hesitated, watching them intently. Aaron just stood there smiling. Finally the man pushed the door open and stepped back. He led them down a short hallway that ended in a small office. “The money?” he demanded.

  Aaron looked around casually and then pulled four credit sticks out of his pocket and handed them over. The last piece of the puzzle was how they were to access the shuttle and sneak aboard; Sean had found the answer. The shuttles would leave the prison and come to this warehouse to be loaded down with supplies. From here, the shuttles would go straight to the prisoner transport. The warehouse manager was the weak link. Sean had approached the man and offered him an obscene amount of money; that was all it had taken.

  The man took the credit sticks and walked around the desk. “Listen,” he said as he sat down and began plugging the credit sticks into a computer port to verify the amounts that each stick contained. “I don’t want to know your names or what you’re up to. When the shuttles land, you’ll have at most three minutes before the loading crews come onto the floor. You had better be done as I’ll deny ever having seen you before.”

  Aaron nodded and felt the first pangs of guilt. Whether or not they were successful in getting away alive, once they got on the prisoner transport, then every piece of the prison and prisoner shuttles processes was going to be scrutinized. Undoubtedly, this man wouldn’t live long enough to spend all of his new credits. “Three minutes is enough time,” he said quietly. In truth, he was hoping it would be enough.

  The man only nodded and pulled the last credit stick from the computer port and placed them in a desk drawer. He locked the drawer before standing back up. “Let’s go.”

  He led them back out of the office and down a second short hallway. He opened a door on his left and looked around the corner before pushing it all the way open. The door opened into a cavernous space that was almost as big as the entire warehouse. Numerous crates and boxes were stacked along the walls and flowed over into the middle of the floor. They entered on an end that was slightly more organized and there was a wide open area directly in the middle of the floor. There was a long row of gleaming white cases, each with a cyberlock on the outside. He waited until Aaron and the other three were inside the room and then waved over at the locked cases. “Those cases will be loaded onto the shuttles, but if you tamper with that lock, you’ll set off an alarm. If you’re that stupid, then you’re on your own.”

  Aaron shook his head as he looked around. “We won’t touch the cases.” He looked up at the ceiling. “I assume the ceiling retracts so the shuttles can land?”

  “Yes,” the man answered. “They’ll set down right here,” he said indicating the open floor space where they were currently standing.

  “What ord
er?” Russell asked.

  “What?”

  “Where will shuttle one set down, shuttle two, etc?” Russell said slowly.

  “One will set down right here, not too far from that door. Two will be farther on, and three will take that space right before the wall of wooden crates.” He took a step towards the door but paused just short of it. “Remember, you only have three minutes,” he said, and then added, “at most.”

  “Thanks,” Aaron replied and waved his hand at the man. “It’ll be plenty.”

  Aaron waited until the door had closed behind the man and they were alone before he spoke again. “Alright, Martin’s flying shuttle three so he’ll land at the far end of this space.” He motioned towards the wooden crates, “Let’s hide behind them.”

  “Better hurry,” Susan said. “They’re supposed to be here in less than ten minutes.”

  They jogged to the far end of the open area and moved behind the first row of crates. There was more organization in the stacking than they had thought at first glance. The rows between the crates were quite clear and several feet wide. As the shuttles would land through the large opening in the roof, they had to be out of sight of the pilots. The open walkways made it a little difficult. It was Jessica who finally noticed some crates whose lids had been removed and then set back on top of the crates. The crates were huge, maybe ten feet by five feet, and their lids were rather heavy. It would have been difficult for the four of them to move them just by themselves, but Russell used his gift to simply float the lid to one side and lean it against the row of crates. Then they simply hunkered down underneath the lid.

  “You ready?” Aaron asked Russell.

  Russell nodded and held up a small tablet computer that had several cables dangling from it. “As soon as Martin sets down, I’ll connect to the hatch and get it open.”

  Aaron nodded, knowing that a single mistake could cost them their lives. They had to open that hatch, but they had to do it in such a way that it didn’t register in the shuttle’s computer. Once they docked with the prisoner transport, the computer logs would be pulled and anything unusual would be the end of this mission.

  They didn’t have long to wait until a deafening buzzing started up and the roof of the warehouse began retracting. It took less than a minute and the floor of the warehouse was flooded with sunlight. The buzzing cut off and was replaced by the throbbing of the shuttle engines.

  As the shuttles got below the ceiling, the noise became nearly unbearable. It reverberated off of the warehouse walls and seemed to vibrate their very bones. Aaron and the rest each plugged their fingers into their ears, but it helped little, if at all. Thankfully, the shuttles didn’t waste any time and the sounds soon began to cut out.

  Aaron slapped Russell on the shoulder and shouted, “Go!” It was probably unnecessary as Russell had started moving even before Aaron told him to, and most likely Russell couldn’t hear the shout anyway.

  They rushed out from behind the row of crates and Aaron was pleased that he could only see one pilot and it was Martin Ross.

  Ross looked down from the cockpit of the shuttle and there was a genuine anxiety in his eyes, but there wasn’t anything he could do to help. He was locked in the cockpit and would remain there until he had delivered the supplies to the transport and then returned to Karbarsh.

  Russell reached the shuttle in a matter of moments. He pulled a tool from his pocket that vaguely resembled a screwdriver and began to quickly loosen four screws that held an outlet cover in place. Aaron joined him and between the two of them they quickly got all four screws out and the latch came off easily.

  Russell reached in and connected the computer cables to several wires. He then looked back to the tablet computer and made several adjustments. In reality the computer was simply being used to determine which cables he needed to gimmick the hatch. After a moment he reached back in the outlet and moved the computer cables.

  Aaron stood there looking over Russell’s shoulder and biting his lip. He was fighting the urge to say something totally useless like “Hurry up!” It wouldn’t help and might even slow Russell down a bit. He kept his mouth shut and instead kept checking the time; it seemed to be going by awful quickly.

  Two minutes came and went and Aaron was beginning to think they weren’t going to get in when Russell exclaimed, “Got ‘em!”

  Russell handed the tablet over to Aaron and withdrew a small metal disc from his pocket. The disc was the size of his fingernail and two wires protruded from one side. The wires ended in small clips. Russell reached in and placed the clips onto the two wires that he identified using the computer. He disconnected the computer and then he reached in and cut the two wires. If all went as planned, the hatch could be opened now, and the small disc would keep anything from being logged by the shuttle computer. “Okay,” he said as he shoved the small disc into the outlet, “open the hatch and get in!”

  Aaron heard Susan and Jessica move to obey, but he remained by Russell’s side. He still held the computer, but he assumed that Russell would need help getting the cover back in place. He held the computer in his left hand, but he was also able to use that hand to hold the cover over the outlet. Russell began to frantically tighten the two left screws, while Aaron worked one-handed on the right two.

  The door opened at the far end of the warehouse and they could hear footsteps and people talking as they trudged onto the floor.

  “Hurry!” Russell said in a whisper.

  “Not helping,” Aaron said right back. He got the top right screw reseated and was starting on the bottom when Russell finished his two.

  “Go,” Russell snapped. “I’ll finish the last one.”

  Aaron bent down and looked under the shuttle towards where the loaders were entering the warehouse. Luckily the first two shuttles helped block them from view, but he still could see plenty of people moving. It wouldn’t be long before they were here. He looked back and Russell was still furiously cranking on the screw. There wasn’t anything he could do to help, and the last thing he wanted was to delay Russell in getting out of sight. Moving over to the still open hatch he looked inside and a new worry occurred to him. There was a crawl space where the four of them could fit, but it wouldn’t be easy to put their spacesuits on while lying down. Susan was the farthest down the crawlspace.

  Susan motioned for him to hurry and he reluctantly climbed up and into the hatch. He moved farther in to give Russell space and within moments the other man joined them. Climbing up and pulling the hatch shut behind him. With the closing of the hatch, they were plunged into darkness.

  Aaron let out a sigh of relief and then turned on a small handheld light. “Susan, did you find the computer port?” He wasn’t worried about being heard by the cargo loaders as the shielding was effectively soundproof.

  “Yes, it’s right here,” she said, pointing to a spot on the wall.

  Aaron nodded and handed the tablet computer to Jessica who passed it on over to Susan.

  Susan disconnected the two wire leads that Russell had used to jimmy the hatch entrance and plugged in a different cable. She then connected the loose end of the cable to the computer port. She typed several commands on the computer and then said, “All right, it’s uploading.”

  “Let’s hope Michael knew what he was doing,” Jessica added.

  Aaron nodded his head. “Morgan wouldn’t have sent him if he didn’t.” Silently, he, too, worried about how well the programmer’s virus would work. They could overcome a lot of variance in their plans, but if the security remained in affect on the transport, then they were as good as dead.

  The program that Susan was uploading was the first and most important of the viruses that Michael had written for them. When the shuttle docked with the transport, they first thing that the security forces did was to connect to the shuttle’s computer and pull its logs. This was the perfect opening to get the virus in the transport’s computers. This first virus had several objectives. First, once the virus was uploaded
, it would propagate through the ship’s systems and would make it extremely easy for any of them to get full access at any of a number of computer terminals. Secondly, it would turn off the security and monitoring of a section of the ship near the stern. An idea had first occurred to Aaron when Susan mentioned that the railgun had been removed when the ship had been renovated. Railguns were in constant need of adjustment and there was an airlock there for when the ship’s engineer needed to work on the gun from outside the ship. With the absence of the railgun, the airlock would be sparingly used to say the least. They simply needed to get there and it would be their entrance.

  “Done,” Susan said and unplugged the computer from the port.

  Aaron nodded at the cable Susan had just unplugged. “Reconnect it so we can monitor our progress.”

  Susan looked puzzled for just a moment and then said, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “All right,” Aaron said, “let’s get into our suits.”

  Chapter 20

  It took nearly thirty minutes for the shuttles to be loaded and then they heard the whine as the engines began powering up.

  Aaron quickly motioned for the others to put their helmets on, but it was unnecessary. None of them fancied entering a vacuum without their suits. It was probably unnecessary to remind them of one more important fact, but he did anyway. “Absolute radio silence.”

  The shuttle lifted off easily enough and began a slow ascent. Not only did Ross have the stowaways to think about, but his hold was also piled high with crates for the prisoner transport.

  It took over an hour for the shuttle to make orbit and approach the prison ship. They watched their progress on the small tablet computer until Aaron judged it was time to get ready. The first thing they did was swap their nearly empty air canister for a new one. Then they cabled themselves together. It wouldn’t do for one of them to get lost when they left the shuttle.