“What is that?” Selene asked.
“The warp core,” Flik said. He stood at her shoulder, inspecting it. “It’s the only way to shift into hyperspace.”
Selene blinked in surprise. She should have known. “Wow,” was all she could say.
Rikkard stopped at the base of the stairs on the other side of the platform. He’d gone back to the main floor, and waited impatiently for them to follow. “Come on,” he snapped.
Selene shook her head, trying to focus back on the mission. She’d never seen a warp core before. She knew they existed, but the Dominion hadn’t given the technology to humans yet—claiming they weren’t ready.
She’d never thought much about it before, especially given how screwed up the world was. There was enough to worry about on Earth, why bring the stars into it too? But now, warp cores may be their only way out.
“This way,” Rikkard said, motioning over his shoulder.
Selene pulled her gaze away from the swirling blue, and descended the steps just as a man in a blue jumpsuit turned the corner, something like oil darkening the fabric of his outfit. He hummed, a holopad in one hand, and a silver stylus in his other. He checked something off on the screen, moving toward them like he hadn’t seen them.
They all froze. Selene’s eyes widened and her heart slammed against her ribs.
Then the man turned a corner like he knew exactly where he was going, even though he hadn’t looked up. His hum faded, the engine overpowering the noise.
“That was close.” Sav sighed with relief.
“Too close,” Selene agreed.
“Come on,” Rikkard said. “Quickly.”
Selene, Flik, and Sav hurried down the stairs, and caught up with Rikkard. They slipped through the rest of the engine room, keeping an eye out for the oblivious engineer, but they didn’t see him again.
A set of grated stairs rose from the floor at the far end of the room, joining the catwalk, but there was a door off the wall into a room with a large glass window that overlooked the whole engine room.
Rikkard raced toward it, then climbed the stairs two at a time. He waited beside the door while the rest of them piled through. Once they were all inside, they took a few minutes to catch their breath, keeping low to the ground, out of sight of the window.
“We’ve got to be more careful than that.” Rikkard stared pointedly at her.
Selene bit back a snarky reply. Though she wanted to be angry with him for pointing out her screw up, he was right. Instead of paying attention to what they were doing and where they were going, she’d stopped to gawk at technology she couldn’t even begin to understand.
She bit down on her lip. The pain made her refocus. She inhaled sharply through her nose. “You’re right.”
Rikkard’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“This is the only time you’ll hear me say it, so don’t give me that look.” Selene narrowed her eyes at him, and received a small smile in return. Her heart leapt, but then his smile was gone, and his serious face was back.
“Glad to hear you admit it,” he said. “But we need to keep moving.”
Selene agreed. “Where to next?”
Rikkard stood after quickly checking the engine room again. Once it was deemed safe, he went to the only other door in the room, and it opened at his command. “This way.”
Selene nodded and followed him through, the other two close on her heels.
Red lights flashed overhead, and a commanding female voice came over the speakers: “We are under attack. Troops to your stations.” The message was repeated in an unfamiliar alien language. She was surprised they said it in English at all. Were there humans onboard?
The stomp of boots echoed down the hall, sending her heart leaping into her throat. Shit! They had company.
Selene flashed a wide-eyed look at Rikkard, but he was already moving, racing down the hall away from the noise. She was quick to follow, but was unable to stop herself from taking nervous glances over her shoulder.
The footsteps grew closer, and closer, until she thought they would be upon them. Then the smugglers turned a corner, and dove into the safety of a new corridor.
Rikkard held a finger to his lips. They needed to stay quiet. They were on the loading docks floor now, or at least on the outer rim of it. From the schematics, she remembered it took up two entire decks, with winding passages surrounding it. It had dozens of possible routes to and from the docks, the other floors and the engine room. They couldn’t misjudge which staircases to take, or they might end up in the middle of a soldier-infested hangar. And with the ship on high alert, they’d be lucky to make it out of the hangar alive.
The footsteps faded, headed back the way the smugglers had travelled from.
Selene bit back her sigh of relief, and followed Rikkard on her tiptoes, careful not to make a sound as they escaped what had probably been a patrol unit on its way to the loading docks.
The message about troops reporting to their stations repeated twice more before the ship quieted, leaving only the flashing red lights to indicate anything was amiss.
Her heart pounded harder as they wound through metal corridors, which all looked the same to her. There were a few doors off the main path, but nothing else to indicate they hadn’t already been there. She called to mind the schematics, trying to keep track of their location that way. Usually, she had an excellent memory for maps, but with her adrenaline pumping hard, it was hard to focus on exactly where they’d been.
Boots pounded the metal grated stairs at the end of the hall, descending quickly. Selene skidded to a stop, but Rikkard reached for her sleeve. He pulled her along, running to the end of the hall before sliding beneath the landing six-feet above the floor. Flik and Sav crouched beside them beneath the stairs.
“We’ll have to take out this patrol,” Rikkard whispered in her ear. His hot breath made her shiver.
“They’ll just run by if we hide here,” Selene snapped. They didn’t need to kill anyone unless they were seen. She turned to meet his fierce gaze, and didn’t back down, even when he narrowed his eyes.
Rikkard ground his teeth, frustrated by her morals. “Fine.”
They waited in tense silence as the stomping grew closer and closer. Someone shouted in an alien tongue, making Flik perk up. His eyes widened slightly as he listened.
Selene almost asked what they were saying when the floor clanged directly above her head. She froze, and tried to melt into the shadows as four sets of boots careened across the landing, and down the stairs.
Her pulse pounded in her ears, and she couldn’t resist raising the barrel of her gun. Just in case.
Four men clad in black slowed their pace when they reached the floor. Each had a pistol on their hip, but no rifle in hand. The head soldier barked orders, turning to look back at the rest of his patrol, a snarl on his face.
A set of blue alien eyes met hers over the shoulder of his subordinate. His thin lips parted to speak, but Rikkard was one step ahead of her.
“Shit,” she hissed.
Laser fire burned through the air, warming her cheek for a split second before it stole the expression from the alien’s face.
“What the fuck?” one of the patrol shouted, spinning to face them.
Selene aimed and squeezed off a shot, leaving a hole burned through his chest as she turned on another.
A second shoulder gasped before Rikkard put him down, and Flik shot the last.
Four bodies crumpled to a heap in the middle of the floor, leaving the smugglers in silence.
“Damn,” Sav breathed out the word like he’d been holding his breath.
Flik shook his head and clenched his fists. “He had to look back.”
Selene frowned, her stomach twisting as they stepped out from under cover. “We can’t just leave their bodies here. They’ll be found.”
Rikkard nodded. “Agreed.” He scanned the hall until he found a door. His steps were nearly silent as he crossed the space, opening the door wit
h a swipe of his hand. “Here.”
Selene joined him, peeking inside the empty storage room before Sav cleared his throat. She looked back to see him and Flik supporting the first body around its shoulders. She stepped aside, and they dragged the corpse inside. Once they’d set it down, they returned to the hallway for another.
Selene and Rikkard carried the third, while Sav and Flik dragged the last to the storage room. Before they closed the door, Selene snatched a keycard bracelet from one of the bodies’ wrists. She brandished it to the others, getting nods of approval before she stowed it in her utility belt. Better safe than sorry. Plus, maybe the bracelet would get them into the server room, no hacking required.
Once the bodies were safely stowed, the smugglers returned to the stairwell, careful to stop and listen before going up.
“This should come out right next to the server room,” Rikkard said.
She had a feeling he sensed their unease, and wanted to quickly clear the air before they continued. “All right,” she said.
Rikkard assessed each of them before continuing. Though the captain didn’t show a lot of emotion, he was better at reading people than she gave him credit for.
Selene followed Rikkard up the stairs. They stayed in single file, Flik at her back, and Sav behind him. They moved slowly, listening for even the hint of another patrol.
When they reached the server floor completely unchallenged, Selene breathed easier, even if her pulse still hammered away. Adrenaline flooded every inch of her, making her feel giddy, and a bit unhinged. A lot was riding on the success of this mission. It was hard not to be terrified by the prospect of failing.
Failure is not an option.
The door at the top of the stairs whooshed open, and Rikkard went through, scanning either side before motioning them out.
Selene stepped through, examining the nearly identical corridor. She bet at least eighty percent of the crew got lost on this ship on a regular basis. There was no way someone could remember each twisting hall without a map.
“So far, so good,” Flik muttered, so quietly she almost missed it.
She smiled. They hadn’t been found yet, and that’s what mattered. They had gone into this knowing there would be a body count. Selene just hoped against hope they’d get in and out unseen. After their close brush with the engineer, she had thought that maybe luck was on their side. Apparently not.
Rikkard moved like a soldier, scanning the hall as he led them away from the stairwell, down more identical halls. She held back her groan. She knew where they were headed now. After the stairs, it wasn’t far. But still, they had a security gate to pass. Thank the skies, the Gods, or whatever else she’d thought to grab a keycard.
Without it, they might have a hard time getting through the gate, or waste more time hacking it. Though whether it’d get them into the server room or not, remained to be seen.
Their pace slowed as they rounded a corner. Soft voices drifted down the hall, edged with nerves. Damn. From the sounds of it the security gate was manned during an emergency.
Selene ground her teeth as they stopped. Rikkard motioned them all to stay back while he crouched and carefully peered around the corner.
She waited impatiently, chewing on her lip, and tapping her fingers against the grip of her weapon. Rikkard watched the hall for what felt like a long time. So long, in fact, she nearly leaned over him to see what the hell he was staring at.
Finally, he moved away, motioning them all back a few paces where they could whisper to one another.
“Three guards,” he said, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
What had him so on edge? It couldn’t just be the three guards. Three men against the four of them was nothing.
“And?” Selene raised her eyebrows.
Rikkard met her gaze. “Past the gate is a turret in the ceiling. If we don’t kill the three men before they sound the alarm, we’ll be shredded.”
Selene’s heart felt like it plunged into her stomach. Cold swallowed her chest, and goosebumps rose on her arms. “Shit.”
Rikkard nodded.
“Then we all jump out together,” Sav said. His eyebrows furrowed like he wasn’t so sure what they were worried about.
“Any one of them could have a remote control, or a button to hit,” Rikkard explained.
Sav shook his head. “Still. All we have to do is kill them all simultaneously.”
Selene’s fists tightened. “If even one of us misses, we’re fucked.”
“Tell us where they’re positioned,” Flik said. He looked determined as hell. Nothing was going to make him back down. “Describe it.”
“The gate takes up most of the hall, about twenty-five, thirty feet away from the corner. It looks kind of like a metal detector,” Rikkard said. “There’s a shimmering light like a door in the center. I think it’s some kind of shield system that probably lowers when someone flashes a keycard across a panel, or maybe one of them has to punch in some kind of code.”
“If there’s a code, we can’t kill them all,” Selene whispered feverishly. Cold sweat slicked her back, and nerves hummed through her system.
Rikkard nodded stiffly. “Exactly.”
“Where are they positioned?” Flik repeated.
“There’s a seat on the right side of the gate against the wall. It looks like there’s some kind of control panel and screen back there. You’re probably scanned as you walk through, and this guy watches for weapons, or whatever,” Rikkard said.
“So one’s sitting there.” Flik nodded. “Got it.”
“The other two are just kind of hovering.” Rikkard shrugged. “They both had rifles. One is on the left side of the hall beside the gate. The third is standing further away, but on the right side.”
“Okay,” Flik said. “We’ll shoot the two closest to the gate. We can take out the knees of the third.” He paused, looking up as he thought. “And maybe his elbows so he drops his weapon.”
“That’s at least four shots on one person, and two left for the others,” Rikkard said dryly.
“There are only four of us.” Selene looked them each in the eye.
“Who’s the best shot?” Sav asked. Selene and Rikkard exchanged a look. “You two. Got it. I’ll take the one on the left. Flik will get the one at the control panel. You two kneecap the last one, and shoot out his elbows for good measure.”
Selene nodded. “Rik, you get his left knee, and I’ll take his right elbow, then we’ll switch.”
Rikkard agreed. “Okay.”
She took a deep breath, glancing back over Rikkard’s shoulder. “We should double check their positions before we jump out.”
“Good idea,” Flik said. “We all need to jump out at the same time and get our shots off, or we’ll risk retaliation.”
“I’ll roll out, and stay low so you and Sav can shoot over my head,” Selene said.
“I will too,” Rikkard said.
Selene smiled at the idea of him trying to gracefully roll into a crouch. Though she was sure she’d seen him do it before, it was just a strange thought for such a tall, broad-shouldered man.
“Okay,” Flik and Sav agreed in unison.
They each took turns looking out, assessing the positions of their targets, which didn’t seem to move much, except to turn back and forth to speak to one another in hushed voices. Selene had to assume they were more afraid of their supervisor hearing them shooting the shit on the job than any invaders within their walls.
“Ready?” Rikkard whispered.
Selene crouched by the corner, her shoulder just brushing the wall. Rikkard stayed beside her, with Flik and Sav ready to leap out behind them. She gave a swift nod, and Rikkard checked on the two at their backs before he brought three fingers up, slowly dropping one, then the other.
Three… two… one.
Now!
Selene rolled out, her shoulder grinding against the cold grated floor before she had her feet beneath her again. She brought her gun up, the ba
rrel level with her target, and shot.
Red lasers burned through the air, finding their targets. Two muffled grunts filled the hall, followed by the thud of a body.
The last screamed, the kind of ear-piercing, soul-wrenching scream that makes you want to slap your hands over your ears.
Selene growled and turned her aim from the man’s elbow to his uninjured knee as the injured one gave out. She squeezed the trigger, and a hole burned through his pant leg.
Another howl filled the hall, and then they were running. The guard’s rifle clattered across the floor, and he fell to his side, eyes rolling up into his head.
“Quiet him!” Rikkard hissed between his teeth.
Sav ripped a glove off and jammed the thing in the man’s open mouth, muffling his pained wail.
Selene’s heart raced as she crouched beside them. “What are the chances someone didn’t hear that?”
Rikkard looked up like he was actually calculating the probability. “Not good.”
She had to resist rolling her eyes as she looked back at the security gate. The thing took up most of the hall; the arch shoved a bit more to the left side, leaving space for the control seat on the right. The gate was striped black and yellow, like caution tape, and Rikkard was right, a shimmer broke the clear air between the thick arches of metal.
“We have to move,” Flik said. His fingers thrummed the trigger guard of his rifle.
Rikkard grabbed the whining man at their feet by the collar of his shirt. He slammed him against the wall, making the guard wince. His eyes rolled back to attention, his forehead wrinkling. His entire face twisted in agony.
“Do we need a code to get through the gate?” Rikkard snapped. His voice deepened, threatening.
While Rikkard did the interrogating, Flik sprinted down the hall to the gate, slowing when he saw the turret. It didn’t move, and no red light blinked over the barrels, but she had a feeling he was remembering their escape from Pate’s prison.
The guard mumbled around Sav’s glove, and Rikkard pulled it out.
“Say that again,” Rikkard demanded.
“Who the fuck ‘re yah?” the guard growled. His accent was thick, and unfamiliar. She wondered where he was from, or if this was just a more pure Zahkx accent.
The Darri Commission: A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure (Dominion Rising Book 3) Page 10