“Of course not,” I said. “That would be far too easy.”
“But we can get within two hundred meters,” TenSix said.
“And then we’ll need to catch someone with security access,” Grannt said. “I doubt that any of the key-sticks we’ve collected so far will work in the detention block. That will be a restricted area—even for guards.”
We arrived at a T-junction. The main tunnel turned left, while a much smaller corridor branched off to the right.
“This way,” TenSix said, leading us into the smaller corridor.
As we walked, we heard the distinct sound of running water. I wondered if we were crossing another one of those flood control channels, but I didn’t see any portholes.
Before too long the tunnel dead-ended into a staircase leading up to an upper vestibule. We climbed the stairs and were met with a pair of sealed blast doors at the far end of the space.
“What’s on the other side of those doors?” Kira asked.
“According to the schematics, it should be a maintenance hub,” TenSix said. “Kitchens, laundry, medical. Some offices and supply rooms.”
“We need a plan,” I said. “I doubt we can just blast our way in.”
“Right,” Grannt said. “We’re going to have to be smart about this. They may very well be expecting us.”
“What did you have in mind?” Kira asked.
The first part of Grannt’s plan involved reconnaissance. We debated whether or not to send TenSix in, but based on how surprised the guards were when they saw the bot, we decided TenSix might not blend in as much as we might hope. Plan B was for Kira to do it. While Grannt was also dressed as a trooper, his uniform didn’t quite fit him properly and that might give him away. Kira definitely looked the part.
“Just walk around the perimeter of this pod,” Grannt said. “Assess how many of the enemy is armed, but stay away from other troopers. They’ll be more likely to see through your bluff.”
“Got it,” Kira said.
“You sure you are up to this?” I asked.
“Of course. I’m up for anything that will free my parents.” She slipped through the door and it clanged shut ominously behind her.
Grannt and I withdrew to the lower tunnel and stood in silence for a long while.
Finally I asked, “You’re a military guy, aren’t you?”
“Retired.”
“What branch?”
“Army. Military police. With the 122nd. Based on Lussix.”
“So why’d you retire?”
“That’s my business.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “Honorably or dishonorably? Discharged, I mean.”
“What do you think?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
He smiled. Faintly.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I’m grateful. And so is Kira. There’s no way we could have made it this far without you.”
“We still have a long way to go—”
TenSix interjected, “And the odds are—”
“TenSix! Remember what we discussed?”
“Sorry.”
“Listen,” I said to Grannt. “If I don’t make it out, please let my family know. Or anyone at Beck Salvage.”
He looked at me funny. “Beck Salvage?”
“Yeah, it’s my company.”
“You reopened it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You guys closed down about five or six years ago, when your dad announced his retirement—”
“Wait a minute. Are you certain about this?”
Grannt’s eyes narrowed. “What are you not telling me?”
“I’ve been…away.” I sighed. “For a long time. Seven years. On a mission for the company. I was trying to get back to Anglad when all this happened.”
“And you haven’t been in contact with anyone?”
“No.”
“Where the hell were you?”
I hesitated a bit, but then decided that there was something about Grannt that I felt I could trust. “I was in another galaxy. Hodierna. The Nymorean system. I was actually trapped there.”
“For seven years?”
“Yes,” I said. “There may have been a time jump involved.”
“You’re talking about the incident at the Fountain, aren’t you? Back in ’58?”
“Yeah.”
“The Rhya were attacked.”
“Yes, by the Mayir.”
“You sure about that? MCP said it was the Shima. Presented a lot of evidence to that effect.”
“I’m positive. I saw what happened firsthand. And I had a few run-ins with their Field Marshal.”
“Which one?”
“Molda Prundt.”
“That bloated piece of shit,” TenSix said.
“That’s a fairly accurate description,” I said. “Anyway, I was lucky to make it out alive. I lost my whole crew, though.”
“That’s hard.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Before we could continue the conversation, I heard voices outside of the door.
“That’s Kira!” I said. “And I don’t think she’s alone. Hide!”
As Grannt eased into the shadows beneath the staircase, TenSix scampered towards me.
“Not you, TenSix,” I said. “You stay right there. Provide a distraction like you did before!”
At that moment the door opened from up above us and I heard Kira and someone else speaking.
“Yeah, I never saw anything like it before.” Her voice echoed throughout the tunnel. “I figured I should get some back-up, because—you know—just in case…”
“Uh huh,” a man said. “Is that it?”
They became visible at the top of the staircase. Because of the angle, I couldn’t quite be sure, but it appeared that Kira had found another trooper.
“Yeah, that’s the bot.” Kira said. “Is it one of ours?”
“Not sure. But better safe than sorry.”
“What are you doing?”
“Blast now and ask questions later—”
“No!”
The tunnel lit up with flashes of blaster fire. Without thinking, I engaged my suit’s air jump and flew up to the top of the landing.
“You stupid bitch!” The trooper wrestled with Kira, who had knocked his arm away to ruin his shot.
They were too close together for me to get a clear shot, so I vaulted over the guard rail.
“What the hell?” The trooper—a big brute nearly the size of Grannt—managed to shove Kira away and brought his RB around and blasted me directly in the chest at point blank range.
It was like being smashed into by a big bull banthori. The impact sent me flying back over the rail. I flailed helplessly, trying to engage my magtouch.
The last thing I saw was another flash of a blaster illuminating the ceiling of the tunnel.
Then everything went black.
19
I felt a sharp slap on my face that hurt like hell. Then I felt myself being shaken until my eyes seemed like they would pop out of their sockets.
“Hey!”
