Unexpected Contact: A Mechhaven Novella

by Greg Sorber

  “Thank you, otherwise I was going to have to.”

  “What now?” Tala asked.

  “We need to get out of here,” TH3R said.

  “I’m working on it.” Sigrid looked at her wrist-computer and entered several commands. “I’ve got a back-up vehicle on the way.”

  “How long?” Tala checked the access door. It wouldn’t last much longer.

  “Any minute.” Sigrid holstered her Fury Z5 and unslung the Fenris from her shoulder.

  Tala put away her stun batons and did the same. Through her goggles, the images of four additional SPDR mechs emerged from the side of the building where they had climbed up two floors. Sigrid and Tala opened fire and the SPDR mechs scattered. Sigrid aimed at the two on the left and Tala, the two on the right.

  The roof access door bent outward and the sixth SPDR mech, missing one arm thanks to Sigrid, dove through the gap. TH3R spun the limp form of the SPDR mech he had slung over his shoulder and smacked it into the new enemy. The mech went flying across the rooftop.

  Sigrid’s wrist-computer signaled an alarm. She looked at it and said, “Our ride is here!”

  The five combatants regrouped. TH3R positioned himself between the SPDR mechs and his companions and said, “You two go first, I’ll hold them off.”

  “Are you crazy?” Tala noticed his eyes were glowing, a sign that his guardian mode was active. “There are too many of them.”

  TH3R looked back and said, “Hurry, I won’t be able to hold them long.”

  Sigrid checked her wrist-computer, turned to Tala, and said, “Run, now.” She grabbed Tala by the arm, and the two ran as hard as they could toward the edge of the building. TH3R swung the limp body of the disabled SPDR mech in a wide arc. He slammed it into the three mechs rushing in to attack him, sending them sprawling. The others avoided being bludgeoned and jumped at TH3R, claws extended.

  “Where are we going?” Tala asked.

  “Trust me,” Sigrid said, “and jump as far as you can.”

  Sigrid hoped her calculations were correct as she and Tala leaped from the side of the RBC building and plummeted into the city below. Their descent only lasted a few seconds until their feet connected with the alloy frame of a hover car with a loud thud. Tala lost her balance and one foot slipped off the side. Her jump hadn’t covered as much distance as Sigrid’s, but the mercenary kept her grip on Tala’s arm, steadying her.

  “Get in!” Sigrid said.

  The hover car maintained a steady altitude as Sigrid and Tala slipped through the retracting moon roof. Once they settled into their seats, the moon roof closed, limiting access to the car.

  “We’ve got to help TH3R,” Tala said as she engaged the safety restraints.

  The hover car shot forward as Sigrid pressed the acceleration button. “I’ve got an idea.”

  Sigrid honked the horn several times in a pattern Tala didn’t recognize. They took a right turn at the edge of the building and she sounded the same pattern. When they made the next right turn, she repeated the pattern again. She repeated the pattern two more times and then when they reached their original position they felt a thud, and the hover car dipped. Tala looked out through the moon roof and saw TH3R balanced on top of the car.

  TH3R slipped and fell to his back as the hover car dipped again as something else struck the vehicle — an SPDR mech. Sigrid hit the accelerator, and the car lurched forward. She didn’t want to risk any others leaping on board. One was bad enough.

  “Be careful, TH3R is up there,” Tala said.

  “TH3R and a SPDR mech,” Sigrid said. “We have to get away from the rest of them.”

  TH3R and the SPDR mech scrambled to their feet. Sigrid couldn’t see the fight going on, but they danced a delicate dance atop her hover car as she piloted it through the city. There were honks from other cars. Whether they were trying to alert her to the situation, or express annoyance at the spectacle, she couldn’t be sure. If not for the false alarm from the bank, their exploding utility van, and the shattering windows, she’d expect a police response, but in this case she wasn’t sure.

  “I have to do something.” Tala started to unfasten her safety restraint.

  Sigrid stopped Tala. “I need you to stay buckled in. The last thing I need is for you to be flying around the cabin if I have to maneuver. TH3R will have to deal with them on his own.”

  A few moments later, the hover car ascended a few feet, as if it had just become lighter. Sigrid glanced up at the moon roof. It was chipped and scratched by the metallic feet of the SPDR mech, but only one pair of feet remained. They were covered by the same standard work boots they all wore as part of their disguise. It was TH3R.

  Sigrid opened the moon roof and TH3R slid into the back seat.

  “Kuya, are you okay?” Tala struggled with the restraints to twist around enough to see if they’d hurt her friend.

  TH3R examined himself. “As usual, my uniform, such as it was, didn’t survive. But other than that and a few scratches, I appear unharmed.”

  Weaving through traffic at far greater speed than was legal, Sigrid risked a glance back at the attaché mech. He was correct. All that remained of his blue coveralls was connected by thin strips of fabric and threads. He was amazed that was all the damage he’d taken.

  “Tala, do you have the back-up battery I gave you earlier?” TH3R asked.

  “I do. Do you need it now?”

  “Yes, I used up more energy than I intended back there.”

  Tala reached into a pocket and handed the battery pack to TH3R. He was about to insert it into his charging port when Sigrid asked, “What’s that for?”

  “To fight that many SPDR mechs, TH3R had to access his guardian mode subroutines. These use an inordinate amount of energy to raise his speed, senses, and strength to that level. If he doesn’t replenish his power reserves, he’ll be useless to us later,” Tala explained.

  “Does he need to use that small of a battery? We're flying in a giant battery after all. Can he just charge from the car?”

  “That’s a great idea,” TH3R said. “Do you have any interface cables?”

  “Sure, check the storage compartments. There should be something that works.”

  In a few moments they’d found a cable with a compatible interface that was also long enough to reach the back seat, and TH3R began topping off his power.

  “Well, that didn’t go according to plan back there, did it?” Sigrid asked.

  Tala smacked her fist into her hand. “We had one of them restrained and everything!”

  TH3R threw up his arms. “We did. I hoped to bring that one along with us. But after the others arrived, I had no choice but to leave it behind. It was a good thing that you had a back-up vehicle nearby.”

  “I thought we might need it. That utility vehicle had too many restrictions programed into it. I needed this to get up onto the roof. It doesn’t have any of the normal restrictions most vehicles have. It will allow us to get where we need to go with the least amount of trouble.”

  “That saved our lives,” Tala said, “but I have to admit I thought you were crazy when you told me to jump over the edge of the building.

  “I am a little crazy.” Sigrid smiled. “So what now?”

  “We should send a message to the base and request back-up,” Tala said.

  TH3R shook his head. “It won’t do us any good. With their cover blown, the SPDR mechs won’t go back.”

  “So there’s still a chance we could track one down?” Sigrid asked.

  “Maybe if everything goes our way, there’s a slight chance we could track one down,” TH3R agreed.

  “Do you have a contact at the base I can call for back-up?” Tala asked.

  TH3R paused for a moment, accessing his memory matrix for available officers that might be able to assist. “Try Captain Ono of the military police.”

  “Got it,” Tala said, “I’m trying him now.” A moment later, she added, “I can’t reach anyone.”

  “What do you
mean?”

  “I can’t make a call out — to anyone. I’ve even tried random numbers.”

  “We’re being jammed.”

  “By whom?”

  “I’m about to find out.” Sigrid took a hard right turn, cutting through several lanes of traffic. “You two watch for any cars following us. I’m going to turn several more times.”

  After each of the turns, Sigrid checked her rear-view sensors and Tala and TH3R scanned the darkening cityscape for cars making the same turns.

  TH3R said, “There are at least three cars following us.”

  “SPDR mechs?” Tala asked.

  “We know how to detect them now, and they won’t want us distributing that knowledge,” TH3R said. “Sigrid, can you lose them?”

  “I’m going to try.” Sigrid pressed the accelerator button. The hover car shot forward, and Tala and TH3R were pressed into their seats by the sudden acceleration. When the speed normalized, Sigrid said, “There should be some more ammo in the storage compartments. Does everyone still have their gear?”

  “I do,” Tala confirmed as she rummaged through the compartments.

  “I don’t. I lost my Fenris in the tussle.”

  “Here, take mine,” Tala said. She handed TH3R the compact assault rifle and four magazines of ammunition. “You’re a better shot than I am, anyway.”

  Tala then checked her Defender series pistol and entered the code to switch it to the high-powered ‘kill’ mode. She made sure she had extra energy packs, since the ‘kill’ setting limited the number of times she could fire. If it came down to them needing to use the Defender series, then they were already in trouble.

  “Everyone ready?” Sigrid asked.

  Tala and TH3R nodded.

  “Good, then let’s see if we can lose those bastards!”

  Chapter Seven

  Losing the SPDR mechs in the rush hour traffic of Hadin was easier said than done. It didn’t matter what combination of turns, lane changes, or speed changes Sigrid made. Within a few minutes, the three cars following them were back on their tail. Since the sun had set, Sigrid and Tala’s vision couldn’t distinguish between the cars, but TH3R’s ocular sensors did the job. He kept watch while Sigrid kept her eyes on the path ahead and Tala fiddled with the communications console and tried to break through the jamming and signal for help.

  They made their way through the city in the general direction of the military base. They’d discussed flying directly there, but without alerting the guards on duty of their pending arrival, they’d be in trouble. If they came in too fast and bypassed the security check, they’d be taken as a threat and fired upon. If they entered the line for the security check, they’d be rushed and attacked by the SPDR mechs in their stealth mode. Neither option was ideal, as far as Sigrid was concerned.

  So far, the SPDR mechs were content to follow at a distance. Sigrid was fine with that. She was patient, too. Perhaps not as patient as an SPDR mech, but she knew the streets and aeroways of Hadin well and could drive for several more hours before her car needed recharging. In that time, an opportunity would present itself. It always did.

  The question that came to her mind was, why are the SPDR mechs being so patient? Are they waiting for the most opportune time to attack? Or are they collecting intelligence on me and my companions? Then an even more unpleasant thought came to mind. Are they waiting for reinforcements?

  TH3R had been monitoring the positions of the three SPDR mech vehicles with his ocular sensors when he said, “Sigrid, over the last few minutes I’ve noticed the SPDR mechs have decreased the distance between us. Have you slowed down?”

  “No, I’ve been maintaining the same speed.”

  TH3R checked over both of his shoulders and double-checked the rear monitor. “In that case, since they’re closing the distance, they may try something soon.”

  “Great,” Tala said, “that’s just what we need.”

  “TH3R, let me know what they do now.” Sigrid made a left turn instead of a right.

  “They’ve closed the distance even more.”

  “Let’s try this.” Sigrid elevated out of the designated aeroway and popped into a neutral corridor, and tried taking a left turn. This time warning sounds beeped and lights flashed, showing her path was impeded.

  “They’ve moved up and are blocking your turn on the left.”

  “Okay, then let’s try turning right.” Sigrid made a hard right turn. But even she could see the second vehicle had closed the distance.

  “I get a bad feeling they’re trying to herd us in a particular direction,” Tala said.

  “I don’t want to go anywhere they’re trying to direct us. Where’s the third one?” Sigrid asked.

  “They’re right above us!” Tala shouted.

  Sigrid sped up and felt the car dip. “Did one land on us?”

  “No, the sudden acceleration threw off the mech’s calculation. But it is dangling by the rear bumper.”

  “Hold on!” Sigrid yelled as she executed a barrel roll with her hover car, a maneuver that was technically illegal, but since her car didn’t have any restrictions, it sent the SPDR mech flailing into the city below.

  “I don’t think that will do anything but slow it down,” TH3R said, “but it’s one less we have to face for the moment.”

  A sequence of several thuds hit the car. “Did they just shoot at us?” Sigrid asked.

  “Yes, that felt like gunfire,” TH3R confirmed.

  “They must be tired of following us around,” Sigrid added. “Either that, or their batteries are getting low. If they’re just firing small arms rounds at us, it won’t do much damage to this car. If they have anything more powerful, we could be in trouble.”

  “If they had to recharge like I did, it may have drained their car sooner than they expected. But, if they’re shooting at us in the middle of rush hour traffic, they must be desperate,” TH3R said.

  “If anyone has any brilliant ideas,” Sigrid said, “now would be the time to share them.”

  Several more thuds hit the side of their vehicle. Sigrid looked at Tala and TH3R. “Nothing?”

  They shook their heads.

  “Okay then, we do this my way. If they’re shooting at us, we shoot at them!” Sigrid swerved the car back into a neutral corridor to decrease the chance of other traffic being hit in the crossfire. “TH3R, you’ve got the best vision. I’ll open the moon roof, and you return fire.”

  “I can’t do that, Sigrid,” TH3R said.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Under the current situation we’re not under immediate threat, and I can’t risk innocent civilians being hurt.”

  “What do you think is going to happen if they shoot us down?”

  “Unknown.”

  “Fine!” Sigrid opened the moon roof and set the car to autopilot. “You take the wheel and I’ll shoot. Will that satisfy your safety protocols?”

  TH3R paused for a moment, considering the ramifications. “Yes. That will work.”

  Sigrid and TH3R contorted themselves around each other as he slid into the front seat and her into the rear seat. Tala handed her the Fenris. Sigrid popped up out of the moon roof and aimed at the nearest SPDR mech vehicle. She fired a burst. It peppered the side of the vehicle and it veered away.

  Another vehicle took its place. Telltale flashes erupted from both sides of the vehicle, and bullets whizzed past Sigrid. She returned fire, striking the vehicle straight in the windshield. It was constructed out of the same kinetic round-resistant material as her own, and the bullets didn't cause any visible damage. She didn’t like their chances in an ongoing gun battle flying through the city. They were outnumbered, and a stray round would hit an innocent bystander at some point. As cold and calculating as she was, even Sigrid didn’t want that on her conscience.

  Sigrid ducked back into her vehicle and glimpsed an advertisement projected on the side of a building.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Sigrid laughed out loud and closed
the moon roof.

  “What is it?” Tala asked as TH3R concentrated on piloting the car through Hadin.

  “I’ve got an idea. TH3R, head toward the Science and Education District.” Sigrid leaned forward and entered coordinates into the navigation console.

  “The Xeno-Biological Preserve?” TH3R asked. “Why would we want to go there?”

  “First reason, it’s under renovation, so it’s closed. There shouldn’t be any workers there at this time of night.”

  “And the second reason?” Tala asked.

  “The second reason is a bit of a long shot,” Sigrid said, “but there might be something there that can help us even the odds.”

  “That would be wonderful, especially if we could get these SPDR mechs to quit following us,” TH3R said.

  “I have an idea about that, too. Have you ever heard of the Falco maneuver?”

  TH3R was silent as he reviewed his memory matrix. “Yes, I am familiar with that term. It’s something fighter pilots use to shake an enemy that’s following them too closely.”

  “That’s the one. Do you think you can pull it off?”

  “In this vehicle? In this traffic? That’s not a good idea,” TH3R said.

  “If you don’t think you can do it, engage the auto-pilot and switch with me, I’ll do it,” Sigrid said.

  TH3R put up his hand. “No need, I’ll do it. No offense, but my sensors and reflexes have a better chance of success than yours.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Tala said.

  “There’s an ideal intersection coming up soon,” TH3R said, “so sit back and strap in.”

  Sigrid did as instructed. Tala was already restrained. TH3R accelerated and the pursuing vehicles matched their speed. As they approached the intersection, TH3R said, “Get ready!”

  TH3R reversed thrusters and deployed the air brakes on the hover car, halting their forward progress. Two of their pursuers zipped past them, frantically trying to brake. TH3R made a sudden right turn, but their path was blocked by the third vehicle, which had re-joined the pursuit.