Renegades, page 27
Petra stood facing the door, not making a sound for seven minutes, when she heard a glass break, likely on the floor. There was soft chatter in the apartment, but it was all mumbling. The voices were familiar and stirred anger in her. She felt her face grow hot and noticed her muscles twitching as her blood became doped with adrenaline. There was a loud thump, then two more. She placed her hand on the lock panel and it glowed red, access denied. From her pants pocket, she pulled a card that Reggie had given her and held it up to the machine. It whined and hissed and then unlocked entirely, even jarring itself open a few inches. The waft of air from the apartment was surprising. It smelled terrible, and she wondered if it had always been that way. She had been living with Reggie in his sweet-smelling apartment, and she realized that the stink in the Cudlaw residence was one she had never noticed due to her constant exposure.
On his back and wheezing in the entranceway of the filthy, poorly lit apartment was Del Senior, the first member of her old family she came across.
“Hi Daddy, are you happy to see me?” she asked, and stepped around the fat man to observe the rest of the apartment. She had never called him “Daddy” during her years living with the family. She had only ever addressed him as “sir” to avoid as many blows as possible. Tinka and Jalley both called him “Daddy.” They loved him dearly.
She moved to the kitchen, stepping over random articles of clothing and empty food containers strewn about the floor. More empty take-out containers covered the counter, overflowed out of the trash can, and had begun accumulating on the floor around it. Del Junior was still at the table, slumped over, with his fat face planted on his mostly eaten plate of food. A glossy slick of grease coated his fingers and lips and a large part of his cheek. He had just returned from his shift, and his badge was still slung around his neck on a lanyard. Petra drew the card out of its protective sleeve and slid it deep into her pants pocket. A chair was overturned next to where Del sat, and she picked it up and sat next to him.
“Hi Del, it’s me, Petra. Remember?” she whispered to him. “Do you remember the things you did to me? I remember, Del. I wondered as I walked over here, if I could go back in time, and tell myself as a little girl, that one day I would kill you with one finger, if that would make any of what you did to me easier to bear. I don’t think it would have, Del. But I think it might have made me smile,” she said, and draped an arm over his shoulders. “Are you ready? Here we go!”
Petra placed her index finger on her adopted brother’s windpipe and pressed as hard as she could. His body shivered slightly, and tears dripped from his one exposed eye. After only three minutes, the shivering stopped, the tears stopped. He was dead.
She smiled, got up, and walked into the living room. The goat cage and piss pot were gone, replaced by a small, stained cot. Tinka was face down on the floor, next to the cot and already dead. Her breathing had stopped. Her sister, Jalley, was sitting up on the ratty couch, staring straight ahead and breathing shallow breaths.
“Tinka is dead, Jalley. Is that funny? Don’t laugh! You only have a few breaths left. Try to enjoy them,” Petra said, and leaned over to brush the dark brown bangs out of Jalley’s eyes. She traced a fingertip around the girl’s pie-shaped face. “Goodbye, sis.”
Of all her adopted family members, the sisters were the least of her concern, and so she continued her exploration.
When she saw the door to Misty and Del Senior’s bedroom, she knew Misty was already dead, and had been long before that evening. There were two pillows pressed up against the base of the door, and they had covered the rest of the seams in tape. The attempt at sealing the door shut was a poor one, and she could smell the stench of death coming through it, regardless.
That left Del Senior, her “father.” She walked toward his wheezing body and sat on his gut, facing him.
“Hi, Daddy. I want you to know that I did this to you. It wasn’t the government, or one of the neighbors that hates your guts, it was me. All by myself. Junior is dead. He was still alive when I walked over to see him, but I killed him. That piss pot was his idea, do you remember? He laughed so hard every time he used it. It made him so happy. Well, killing him made me happy. Tinka is dead, too. I didn’t kill her, though. She was already dead when I found her. I suppose you could argue that I did kill her, technically, since I’m the one who poisoned all the food you pigs just shoved in your faces. Jalley is still alive, for now. I don’t think she has much time left, though, Daddy.” Petra ran her fingers through the few strands of hair that Del Senior had left, then placed a hand on his cheek. She whispered to him. “I know you can’t move your eyes, so I’ll sit right here so you can see me. Look at me. I want you to look at me as you die. I hope suffocating hurts. I hope you’re in pain. I hope you’re scared. Look into my eyes, Daddy. Know the one who murdered you. You could have had another thirty years, but I’m ending it now. You are going to slip away soon, and I’m going to watch. I’m going to enjoy it. I can’t wait to see the life go out of your eyes. Die. Look at me. Die. Die. I did this. Look at me. Die.”
7
“Do you want me to go over the procedure again, or are you comfortable with it?” Reggie asked Becca. They sat alone in the back of the Command transport that Jerrick had just locked into the chain-yard dock. He and Volo had rendezvoused on the dock and started clearing it as passersby made their way through. There were few at that late hour.
“No, I know what to do. How long before Ander and Petra get here with the key?”
“If. If she got the key, I imagine it would only be another thirty minutes, or one minute, I don’t know. Daniels-2 may be on the same link, but it isn’t that close. I’m surprised her brother commuted.”
“Do you think she’ll be different? Changed? After what she’s planning to do?”
Reggie sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope not. I married her for a lot of reasons, but one of them was so she could have a normal life. Start fresh on Aila, with a companion who loved her, you know. I wanted to help her as much as she helped me. She’s so innocent, unlike me.”
“Not anymore.”
“Maybe not. Life stains us all, eventually, I guess.”
“It certainly does,” Becca said, and pulled the knife from her boot. She moved it in the low light, admiring its shape.
“You and Ander will never last. Do you know that? It’s not in the cards; you’re too much alike. That’s not a good thing with your personality type.”
“I know, Reggie. I don’t know if Ander does yet, but he will, eventually.”
“So, what are you going to do? With Ander, I mean.”
“For now? Nothing. All I’m focused on is getting to Aila, and that’s all Ander is focused on, too. Everything that happens after that is of no concern to any of us right now. We all have our hands full at the moment.”
“That’s very true. One more question, unrelated. Do you plan to continue as my apprentice after we leave?”
“I’ll be your student as long as you’re willing to teach me, yes.”
“Good. That’s good to hear.”
8
Ander spotted the slender figure walking toward him about thirty minutes after he arrived in the courtyard. She stared at the ground in front of her and walked deliberately. A few steps away, Petra looked up at Ander and burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, sobbing. Ander understood that although the two did not know each other well, she was running to familiarity. She knew Ander’s face, and she knew he understood her struggle. He knew what she had done, and he still hugged her back.
“Easy, now. Easy. It’s over. It is over, right?”
Petra nodded and stepped back from him. “Yes, they’re all dead.”
“And the badge?”
Petra removed it from her pants pocket and held it up so Ander could read it.
“Okay, very good, Petra. What you did was necessary. It will be hard dealing with the loss for a while, but…”
“I’m not sad that they’re dead. I’m happy about that. I’m just disturbed, deeply disturbed, to know that I am capable of doing something like that. It’s a shock. It’s like I was a different person.”
“The more life beats you down, the more you change. It’s only natural. Your killing days are not over, Petra. I’m sorry to say that, but it’s true. Even if you get through the next eight hours without hurting someone, we’re starting a new society, and you’re much too young to get through your whole life without having to issue a correction within it.”
“I hope I’m lucky. I don’t like the person I became when I was going through with it.”
“Yes, it’s ugly and uncomfortable. You will get over it, though. It just takes a little time.”
Ander looked at his watch as a northbound train pulled into the station.
“We have to go. We have a long way to go before meeting up with Chuck, and we need to time it perfectly. They’ll be staging at the chain-yard in a few hours. Come, let’s get there as fast as we can.”
9
Jerrick was not sure he was looking at the same Volo who had hesitated to murder the traitor back on Rear Command. Jerrick and Volo were both wearing the black, impact resistant garb issued to them by Reggie and Ander, and when Volo got ahold of the boot knife, he changed.
It was fortunate that Volo was wearing gloves. His hands were covered in blood when Jerrick approached him. The two bodies on the floor before Volo had stained the bright white floor red. He stepped around them and nodded toward the open dock door. Volo shrugged and Jerrick stepped down into the tunnel, then onto the craft.
“Man, you are lucky I know you. Get up, Todd.”
Jerrick emerged from the craft with a smaller man following him. He held a hand up to Volo. “Not this one. I know him.”
Volo looked surprised. “We have to clear the dock, Jerrick. We’re not taking prisoners. We’re not set up for that.”
Jerrick nodded but shrugged. “I’m taking one. I can’t put this guy down. I’ve known him for too long.” Jerrick then addressed Todd, still cowering and crying, smelling of urine. “Todd, I’ll give you a choice. You can come with us and be quiet and cooperative, or I can cut your throat and toss you on the pile. What’ll it be?”
Todd started nodding rapidly. “Quiet! I’ll do whatever you say, Jer, just please don’t hurt me.”
“Good. See, Volo? Piece of cake. He’s easy.”
Volo looked back and forth between the two. “Are you kidding me? Jerrick, we have a lot to do. We can’t babysit him.”
“He won’t be a problem, Volo. Todd, stand by that door over there. If anyone walks through it, push the door closed before they can try to run back through. Get it?”
“Yes! Yes, I get it. Right away,” Todd said, and ran over to the main entrance for the chain-yard.
“How much longer? It’s dangerous just sitting here, Jer. Isn’t it?”
Jerrick shrugged and pointed over Volo’s shoulder. Another dock light was blinking, indicating that an inbound ship was preparing to dock there. The two large men walked to the door and waited for it to lock into the dock. Volo held his newly issued knife in his hand, with the blade pointing behind him to make stabbing easier.
The vessel locked into place, and Jerrick pressurized the tunnel and opened the doors. He stepped down into the craft and returned a moment later, followed by six others, all dressed the same as he and Volo.
“These guys are with us. Now we’re just waiting on Ander.”
Jerrick, Volo, and the six newcomers talked for ten minutes before another dock light started blinking. The group surrounded the door and waited to identify the inhabitants.
“It’s me,” Ander called through the tunnel. He emerged from the craft followed by Petra, Jemma Frederick, and his pilot, Chuck Simms. “Let’s assemble in front of the door.”
Becca and Reggie emerged from their transport and Reggie found Petra, who took one of his hands and buried her face in his chest. He kissed her and then led her to where the group had assembled near the entrance of the chain-yard. Jerrick grabbed Todd’s elbow and led him to Becca.
“I believe you owe me a favor,” Jerrick said.
Becca nodded and smiled. “I suppose I do. What is it?”
“While I can’t call this clown my friend, I have a soft spot in my heart for him. Will you keep an eye on him while I help get the yard secured? I’ll take him off your hands before we board.”
“What if he gives me trouble?”
“What should Becca do if you give her trouble, Todd?” Jerrick smiled at the clenched jaw and saucer eyes on Todd’s face. “Just stab him a little. If he keeps it up, end it. I don’t want to put you out.”
“Okay, Jerrick. Fair is fair, but we’re even now.”
“Sure thing. We’re even.”
Ander stood with his back to the door and the group had assembled around him. His eyes landed on Todd. “Who’s this?”
“He is my prisoner.” Jerrick said.
“Well, I’ll be damned! What’s he doing here?” Chuck said, recognizing Todd’s presence for the first time.
“It’s just a coincidence, Chuck. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him, though. I’ve known him for too long.”
Chuck nodded.
Ander spoke up, taking control of the room back. “Oh, well, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you he is your responsibility.”
“Of course not. He will be a model prisoner, or he will not be with us.”
Ander nodded and addressed the group. “There are only seven staff on duty right now in the yard. Four of them are in the first office as we get through the doors, on the right. That’s also where the only tangle-box is. We need to disable the box quickly, and the staff need to be dispatched as fast as you can. Jerrick, Volo, after you’re comfortable with progress in the first office, the two of you go to room 117. There is a security guard in there alongside the yard controller. They both need to go quickly, before either of them calls out for help. The last one is tricky. He’s the maintenance worker and could be anywhere on the cylinder. Everyone is going to need to keep an eye out for him. Don’t hesitate; if you see him, put him down.”
Ander’s audience all nodded. It was not the first time they had heard the plan.
“Once the yard is neutralized, we get Reggie and Becca on Lance 5 and 10 to retrofit the flex drives. Everyone else makes sure the flights are well prepared. You all know your individual tasks. We get one shot at this. One shot. If we are presented with a hitch in the plan, and you can solve it, do not hesitate. Do not wait for someone else to do what you could do. This is life or death. No mistakes, no hesitation, no failure.” Ander took the time to look at each person in attendance. “Now is the time for questions.” Ander looked out upon stone faces and piercing eyes. The group was ready. “Very well. Orris is asleep, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s take advantage of that. Let’s go!”
10
“Let’s go!” Ander said, flashing the key card in front of the lock panel, which illuminated green and buzzed as the door it was mounted on clicked open. Becca watched as Ander kissed Petra on her forehead. The rest of the group rushed past into the triply secured hall and waited for Ander to unlock the next door.
The card worked again, and the team moved forward to the last door. Ander touched the card to the last lock panel, but it illuminated yellow, and a dialogue box appeared, requesting a PIN code.
“A PIN? Damn it! A PIN?” Ander yelled.
“5-1-6-8,” Petra said from the rear of the crowd. “The idiot had it tattooed on his arm because he could never remember the number.”
The stress melted off Ander’s face and he keyed the number in. The panel illuminated green and unlocked. They were in.
The group charged through the door and Becca followed, shoving Todd ahead of her and holding Petra’s hand. When she stepped through the doorway, she was caught off-guard by the ceiling, twenty feet above them, looking up into the yard. There were dozens of Lances, each looking a little different, but they were all the same basic design. The Lances she could see from the ceiling were all long dead, scraped-out shells of their former selves, chained together and tethered to the inner diameter of the gravity ring they called the chain-yard.
Commotion to her right broke her distracted concentration, and she turned to look. A loud metal-on-concrete sound accompanied by shattering glass suggested the yellow-box had been found. Becca stepped closer to the door and shivered when she saw the floor inside was streaked with bright red blood. As the team worked deeper into the office, Jerrick and Volo broke off and started jogging down the corridor. The scene was playing out exactly as Ander had designed.
The first hitch in the plan came when the security guard stepped out of room 117 just as Jerrick and Volo were coming upon it. The guard unsheathed his baton, but Volo was fast and snatched it out of his hand. He brought the baton down on the top of the guard’s head with all of his strength, dropping the man to his knees.
