there was a QMT pad down here somewhere. He kept an eye out for that. And he was going to make damned certain to keep Bates away from any panels resembling a personnel QMT pad. The last one they found at the Battle of the Oort, Bates managed to teleport them into a room full of Seppy scientists.
'I'm getting no motion or hotspots. No bodies, either. Is anybody else getting anything?' Tommy asked.
'I've got nothing, Gunny,' Howser replied.
'We're clear over here,' Bates said.
'I think there must be a QMT pad down here, and they all went up to the facility or to those Seppy ships.' Tommy offered his theory.
'Makes sense, Gunny,' the lieutenant agreed.
'Here! I've got a pad over here, and there are lights on some of these panels, so there must be power coming from somewhere,' Sergeant Hubbard announced.
'Everybody stay alert!' Top reminded them. 'We make certain this place is clear before we call in the experts to start pushing buttons.'
'Roger that, Top. I've got several panels and two doors here,' Hubbard said.
It took another five minutes or so before Colonel Roberts and Top were convinced that the room was clear of booby traps, land mines, and assholes hiding in the closets. A generator and lights were QMTed down, and the marines went about setting it up. A couple more minutes and the place was lit up like noon, every door was opened, and there were lights placed in each exterior room. Then the experts came down. There were three of them this time, wearing their engineering armor. The highest ranking one, a CWO4, went right to work. As soon as he arrived, it was like he had seen the place before. He knew which panel to go to and which buttons to start pushing.
After a minute or two, he popped off his helmet and plugged a hardwire from the universal data port into a device that he stuck to his head behind his ear. The other two warrant officers did the same.
'We need to check this thing out,' the CWO4 said. Tommy noticed that his name tag said Ransom.
'Colonel Roberts,' he said. 'I think we are ready to try our hand at controlling this pad. Would you and your AEMs be willing to teleport up to the counterpart to this room in orbit?'
'No problem, Mr. Ransom.'
'Okay, sir. Whenever you're ready.'
'Marines, circle the wagons,' the colonel said as he stepped onto the middle of the pad.
Chapter 32
July 1, 2394 AD
Tau Ceti, New Tharsis
Friday, 3:48 PM, Earth Eastern Standard Time
'Don't you even fucking twitch, Ahmi!' Moore shouted as they turned the corner. He had his targeting crosshair on Fink's forehead, but the dishonored marine had his daughter around the neck in an armored grip and the forearm HVAR of his armored suit to her head.
'Too late, Alexander,' Ahmi replied, and the three of them vanished.
'Goddamnit!' Moore said. 'I should have shot the bitch!'
'No, Alexander, it would have put Dee at even greater risk,' Sehera scolded her husband.
'All that is well and good, Mr. President, but we need to figure out where they went,' DeathRay interjected. He and Nancy began reconnoitering the pad and control panels. 'Nancy?'
'Give me a minute,' the CIA agent answered.
Alexander was getting antsy. Next time he wasn't going to hesitate. He was going to put a bullet through Ahmi's brain the first chance he got. Fink had a railgun round with his name on it, too.
'Thomas, Koodie, keep our backs covered.' Moore told the bodyguards.
'Got it, sir.'
'Any ideas yet, Ms. Penzington?' Sehera asked, looking over Boland's shoulder. DeathRay turned to the First Lady with a solemn look on his face.
'Don't worry, ma'am, we'll find her,' he said.
'Well, between the president's AIC and mine, we have figured out where they went,' Nancy stated. 'There is a pad somewhere in the outer part of this system. Looks like it is in orbit around a moon of another one of the gas giants farther out.'
'Then we go there,' Alexander said.
'Well, I have a better idea, sir.' Nancy paused and conferred with her AIC.
