She wished the code-cracking device would hurry. For all she knew, Colb knew they were on the station and was preparing to destroy it and everyone on it.
“Does it matter if they were coerced or not?” Wren asked. “They were still doing things that broke our treaties.”
Fallon kept her eyes locked on the device. “You broke some major PAC laws helping Colb. You’d be in a brig somewhere right now if not for your intentions, and someone to explain them for you.”
Wren’s voice was barely audible when she said, “Right.”
“Don’t let it get you down. You’re making up for it now.”
Wren pursed her lips and nodded.
The code clicked into place. “Yes! Got it.” She removed a hair-width wire from her backpack and threaded it through the DNA scanner’s input port. She backed away slightly, and with what sounded like a computerized sneeze, the scanner went dark. “Hah.”
“What was that?” Wren asked.
“DNA scanners are extremely touchy devices. They’re a weak point in any security system because of that. If they’re disabled from the command side, they disengage and leave the rest of the security in place until they’re recalibrated.” The wire was one of her favorite Blackout tools. Fortunate for her that Krazinski had supplied her with some.
She opened the conduit, but before going in, she activated her comport. “Status request.”
Raptor replied almost immediately. “No other souls found on board. Proceeding now toward crisis ops to try to force our way in.”
“Hold off on that,” Fallon ordered. “It’s unlikely to work and the attempt would be incredibly loud. I’m hoping to be able to take him quietly by surprise. We’re making our way in via conduit, where there’s a hatch into control ops. Once we get inside and secure Colb, first order of business will be shutting down lockdown mode and opening the door for you.”
“Any chance we can follow your route in?”
“Negative. You’d never fit through the conduits. They’re meant for bots, not people.”
“Understood. Waiting for your signal. Blood and bone.”
“Blood and bone.” She ignored Wren’s curious look. “I’ll go first this time.”
Half crawling, half dragging herself through fifteen meters of conduit was not kind to Fallon’s body. She knew Wren had to have it even harder. Though she had a slim build, Wren was a good bit taller.
Finally they made it to the hatch, which mercifully was surrounded by a wider space, giving Fallon enough room to pull herself into and sit up, if she kept her head down.
“The good news,” Fallon whispered to Wren, who lay flat in the tighter part of the conduit, “is that this side is not secured. It’s a regular old hatch. All we have to do is drop in on Colb. Literally.” The opening was in the ceiling of crisis ops, which meant she’d have to lower herself from it, then drop another meter and a half to the floor. The plus side of that was that she could do it quickly and quietly, and hopefully take Colb by surprise.
Wren nodded.
“First, I’m going to get a look in there, to see what’s going on.” She put on a pair of glasses and removed a coil of wire attached to a tiny display from her backpack. Attached to the wire was a tiny camera. Carefully, to avoid any scraping sounds, Fallon fed it though the air delivery grate.
Rotating it slowly around, she saw that Colb was, in fact, not alone. Nine large toughs surrounded him where he sat in the command chair. Damn. Zooming in on faces, she recognized the surviving members of Stone Unit and three members of Ice Unit, plus three unknowns. Double damn. She could take on six average bruisers, but not six BlackOps plus three others.
She blew out a breath. Okay. Different tactic. She didn’t need to beat them. She only needed to get crisis ops out of lockdown mode so her reinforcements on the other side could get in.
Right. No problem.
“Wrinkle in the plan,” she whispered to Wren. “I was going to tell you to stay up here, but that clearly won’t work. Since we’re both dead if you don’t come down with me, we’re going to have to do that.”
“Wow, great pep talk,” Wren whispered back.
Fallon had to hand it to her. The woman had nerve. “Best you’re going to get today. I’m going to drop in and keep the people down there busy. I need you to get crisis ops open to let the others in.” She pulled a stinger from her belt. “You know how to use one of these, right?”
“Sure, it’s like a laser torch. But instead of cutting metal, I cut people.” She looked unhappily resigned to that idea.
“More or less. It’s set to lethal force. You only have to hit them once, unless they’re wearing dissipators. If they are, you’ll need to switch to that torch of yours. Just don’t hit me, and don’t hit Colb. Unless you have no choice but to take Colb out. But really, really don’t hit me.”
“Right. Take out everyone, including you. Got it.”
If Wren didn’t stop that, Fallon would start to think she was cut out for this kind of work.
“I’ll need the torch for a minute.” When Wren handed it to her, she carefully sliced the bolts holding the intake hatch in place.
After handing the torch to Wren, she turned backward to the opening on her knees. “This is going to happen fast, but time will probably feel like it’s slowed down. At least that’s how it happens for me. Good luck.”
Wren scooted closer, getting ready to occupy the space when Fallon left it. “So I’m about to see the business end of what you really do.”
“Fraid so. Can you handle it?” Fallon knew full well that most people couldn’t deal with seeing that kind of
