We didn’t know if the man was aware of the tunnel system, but we were carrying two cutting torches, in case he did, and had blocked it off. Of course, if he’d blocked it using circuitry, we had that covered, too... or, at least, I hoped we did.
Delight and I had coordinated on the intrusion programs we were taking. Either one of us should be able to deal with any computer-based locking system we encountered. Mack and Delight had the cutting torches, and Delight had the explosives. We figured we could handle almost anything.
And then we discovered that nature could be a security system all on its own.
“What the fuck is that?” Delight sounded rattled.
We were using water drones to pull us along, and figured the shuttle would be just about ready to set down, as we were coming out of the closer pool.
“Tens?”
There was silence, but Delight kicked her drone up a notch, and Mack and I did the same. If something was spooking her, it would be better to clear the area, rather than hang around to find out what it was.
“Shit!”
“Mack?”
“Ah, whatever it is, it’s got teeth.”
“Did it get through the suit?”
“Nope, armor stopped it, but it’s got one hell of a grip.”
“I’m getting nothing on the scans.”
“You scanning for life-forms?”
“Running the spectrum... Oh. Get out of the water. NOW!”
We spun the drones towards a bank, and I was glad they converted to air from water in the same amount of time it took for our heads to come clear.
“Look back when you get to shore,” Tens instructed. “Better yet, don’t look back. I’ll take some footage. You’re going to lose a bit of time over this, but at least you’ll make it to the compound.”
I gave a yelp of surprise, as something grabbed my ankle and hung on. I was glad I was wearing armor as opposed to the light combat suit, I generally took. That thing was resistant, but wouldn’t have stood up to the sharp pressure I felt being applied.
I was also glad we’d taken the drones. Whatever had a hold of me—and it was quickly more than one—had one hell of a bite, and it was trying to drag me back down. Judging from the sounds of effort I could hear from Mack and Delight, they were experiencing similar troubles. I had to resist the urge to let go of the drone so I could go for the knife I carried.
The only thing that stopped me from trying to cut myself free was the fact I needed two hands to keep hold of the drone. Next time, I was going to harness myself in. Yes, it had its pros and cons, but, right now, the cons were far weightier.
A “Seconded,” from Delight was followed by a “Hell, yes!” from Mack, and I realized I’d hit a chord—although how they found the time to be in my head, while kicking at the things hanging off their legs as the drones pulled us free of the water, was beyond me.
“You’d be... surprised,” Mack panted, letting the drone pull him up and over the bank. The machine dragged him a good six feet before the last critter let go, and I grew some respect for the armor we’d drawn from Odyssey’s stores.
“You can pay for it after the mission,” Delight said. “Kind of shit you keep getting yourselves into, you’re going to need it.”
She used her free leg to deliver several hard kicks to the monster that still had hold of the other boot, and let the drone pull her another few feet clear. I’d been travelling behind them, so I came out of the water last. The sound of half a dozen of the smaller monsters splashing into the river was followed by the determined thrashing of two other, much larger, monsters.
Man, that was gonna leave a mark!
Their teeth hadn’t punched through, but it still felt like my legs were in a vice. Delight solved the problem by shooting them in the head.
“Hey!” I yelled, feeling the impacts shudder through their bodies.
“You’re welcome,” Delight said, slinging the Blazer.
“Quit your bitching.” That was Mack.
It wasn’t hard to resist sticking my tongue out, as I released the drone to hover just behind me. Mack’s and Delight’s were already in position. We flew them low, just behind our shoulders where they couldn’t flag us from overhead. They were mostly silent, but by the time folk noticed it, the slight sound they made wouldn’t matter.
Actually, the sound they made probably wouldn’t matter, anyway. The package we’d left in the shuttle? If Andreus Corovan let it land in his compound? Yeah. That sucker was going to have anyone there very distracted.
We had to hurry.
And, as if picking that thought right out of my skull, Mack broke into a jog. Delight followed, and I joined them. My shins and ankles were aching from being grabbed, but we did have to hurry, and we hadn’t come this far to fail, just because we’d nearly been et.
“Steady,” Tens warned, after we’d travelled a couple of miles through the trees. “You’re almost there.”
We dropped into a walk, moving ahead until the bushes grew thick.
“You’re at the edge of the cleared space around the estate. Readings show it’s grass, but that depends on if he’s using something our sensors can’t detect.”
“Case, is the shuttle down?”
“Yup. Been down a half hour.”
It was time enough for the package’s contents to have taken effect. Delight and I looked to Mack, even if Delight twitched towards the road leading up to the compound, first. She stopped, and waited, but Mack had caught her movement.
“Go,” he said, giving her a single, curt, nod.
Delight pushed her way through the bushes, and out onto the area of cleared ground, working her way around the edge of it, until she reached the plascrete. Once she was there, she jogged up to the gates. I noticed a brief shudder to the air surrounding her, and
