Loyalty: Old Mans Comeback Book 5, page 20
A silhouette appeared. One she recognized from when she visited the planet the first time. The ones that fired at her. It was oblong, with nubs sticking out the sides as wings. Thrusters seemed to be part of the smooth surface, not sticking out at all. “I destroyed one of those. They came at me, and I took care of them.”
“They are not in the database,” Gia said. “Which leads me to believe they must be some kind of pirate or criminal. Though to be fair, I do not know the other cultures that have come up through the years.”
“But why would they be here now?” Sorsha asked. “It was assumed that Cade sent them the first time, but now? I know he didn’t tell anyone I’d be here this time.”
“It’s not too big.” Jake shrugged. “Does that mean we can take it?”
“Easily,” Gia said. “However, there’s more than one of them. Scanning system.” A moment passed. “Identified source. There’s a beacon in this system.”
“A… what?” Jake asked. “What do you mean a beacon?”
Sorsha explained, “It’s a device that probably scanned us when we got here. Then, we took our time to find the Box, get you, and plan the attack. All perfectly reasonable considering we had no reason to believe any other alien races took note of Earth. Can you tell how long it’s been here?”
“Negative,” Gia said. “Though it’s reasonable to assume it was dropped just before you were attacked.”
“Where is it?” Jake asked.
“Near a gas giant,” Gia replied.
“Jupiter.” Jake nodded. “It’s called Jupiter.”
“Good.” Sorsha rolled her eyes. “That’s helpful right now.” She chewed her lip. Four ships were incoming. The first time she faced them had been in a shuttle without Gia’s help. This time, she had a major advantage. However, fighting them around Earth presented a number of problems.
She didn’t want anyone crashing down on a populated area. Or at all, for that matter. The technology, even in shambles, would cause a stir.
“We have to meet them up there.” Sorsha shook her head.
“Wait,” Jake said, “what about getting into that shaft? If we don’t head down there right away, there’ll be more VasCorp people here.”
“Won’t matter,” Torma replied. “Not when we can use the turrets to stun them. Or take out those fighters. No, if we don’t deal with those scavenger scum, then they can cause real trouble.”
“Alright.” Jake leaned back in his seat. “I’m in no position to argue.”
Tactical assessment showed the newcomers carried some heavy weapons, the type that should’ve been too much for the size of generators they could store. They were only three times the size of the Earth fighters, big enough to carry some cargo or a crew willing to be crammed together in a tight space.
“Why haven’t they hit Earth?” Sorsha asked. “They could’ve been stealing things from here all this time.”
“Perhaps they have,” Gia said. “I would venture a guess that Cade may have thought about sending someone to give you trouble here, but perhaps it wasn’t true. I get the impression these people have hit other visitors before.”
“That’s crazy,” Jake said. “There’s no way. We don’t…” He paused. “Well, I guess we’ve had discussions about aliens. I mean, before Sorsha showed up. So I guess it’s possible. I would’ve thought we’d pick up fights out here. We do probe the stars. There are Earth agencies dedicated to finding this stuff.”
Sorsha wondered if they knew and kept it to themselves. If they tried to make contact and failed. None of that mattered. The Ilsin climbed to break orbit. She initiated a comms check to see if the attackers had any desire to talk before they engaged.
And they ignored the signal.
Such a thing didn’t necessarily mean they were averse to talking. Their protocols might have been different. They didn’t necessarily have to be humanoid, either. Sorsha wanted to take out the beacon. It would likely send a message to someone else if she managed to destroy the attackers.
Someone might misconstrue the act to be some kind of Earth defense.
“Shields at maximum,” Gia said. “Contact in six minutes. Weapons at the ready. Will Torma be doing the honors?”
“I can,” Torma replied. “I’ve got some experience.”
“Good.” Sorsha turned to the scanner to go over the analysis of their ships. “I’ll feed the weak points into the targeting computer.” She frowned. “We should go straight for the beacon, Gia.”
“Course corrected. This will put us on the defensive with those ships.”
“I get it, but we don’t want more.” Sorsha turned the scans on the device. It was much bigger than anticipated, roughly half the size of the space station. Which put it at twice as big as the Ilsin. “That might not be easy to take down. Ugh, I’ll look for weak points on that too.”
Torma asked, “Am I shooting back at these things as we pass them?”
“Indeed,” Gia replied, “but do try not to destroy them until the beacon is gone. I’m looking to ensure they don’t have a backup.”
Jake scoffed. “C’mon. Why would anyone be that prepared? Especially since we haven’t detected that thing. And you guys didn’t until just now? No way they’ve got more than one.”
Sorsha said, “Just because it’s an offensive idea doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.” She swept the entire system. “It looks good. Here we go.”
The enemy ships broke up into groups of two. They flew on either side of the Ilsin as Torma let loose on them. They returned fire, their attacks splashing against the shields with enough force to give them a real nudge. As the entire vessel shook, they broke through, and increased speed.
The enemy turned to give chase.
“Now,” Jake muttered, “they’re on our tail. And I can’t imagine that’s a good thing with thrusters and all that back there.”
Gia replied, “I’ll be taking evasive maneuvers, Mister Spooner. Thank you for your concern.” Even as she spoke, the enemy attacked, laying into their shields from the rear. “Perhaps they are better shots than I anticipated.”
Shields dropped by twenty percent in the volley. Gia climbed, then increased throttle again. This time, they began to pull away from their attackers. The distance impacted their aim as only a couple of the next attacks scored hits.
Torma used the turrets to harass them. The enemy didn’t bother to evade, taking the shots straight to the nose. Their shields flared in response. Scans showed drained generators struggling to remain active. They might have packed a punch, but they weren’t exactly giants. Not even in a group.
“Uh, guys?” Jake asked, “how long will it take to get to Jupiter? It’s really far from Earth.”
Gia said, “Just under an hour at our current speed.”
“I’m sorry… what?” Jake shook his head. “You gotta be kidding me! In combat? Those things are hitting us hard! I think you gotta be ready to deal with more of them and fight these guys off. I’m serious, we ain’t makin’ it a whole hour.”
Torma nodded. “I agree with him. If we don’t deal with these things, we’ll never make it to that beacon.”
“Okay,” Sorsha agreed. “Gia, engage the enemy. Maybe we can do something with that beacon. Block it, hack it, find a way to manipulate the signal. I’ll work on that. Take them out, guys.”
Gia replied, “I’ll bring it around, Torma. Prepare to discharge all your weapons.”
“No problem.” Torma gripped the controls, turning his attention to the targeting computer.
Sorsha brought up a detailed scan of the beacon. It was not familiar technology, but the fact they were able to pick up the signal from it gave her hope. She could do something with it. She directed some of Gia’s processing power to break down a means to integrate with their systems, something that would allow them to connect to it directly.
While that happened, the battle began around them. Sorsha had a moment. She sent a message to Flip. Then got back to work.
Chapter 30
VasCorp Facility, Nevada
Captain Mort Whitby
Whitby sent the first wave of people to the site. He also gave the order to attack, knowing he’d be killing dozens of their men. When his chopper arrived, he walked through the site where they’d all been. They were well and truly gone. Obliterated in the blast.
The damaged facility didn’t look as bad as he anticipated. Yes, the ceiling and walls collapsed in, but it hadn’t sunk into the ground. He would’ve put money on it going all the way to the bottom of the shaft. He didn’t know what prevented it, other than crazy luck. Some rocks wedged in just the right way held up the majority of the weight.
Whitby’s detachment rushed around the area, as if there was something to secure. He knew better. If the aliens lingered, there was nothing he and his eight people could do against them. Not while they were aboard some kind of spaceship. But at least he could report his findings from the ground.
Approaching the destruction, he stopped his approach at forty yards away from the worst of the debris. The ground might stir if he got too close, and a plunge into that area meant falling eight stories.
“Sir!” one of the men on the perimeter shouted, “check your comms. It seems we’ve got a signal down there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Power might still be on.”
Whitby frowned. He thought Morley cut the power to the facility. But they were dealing with a bunch of scientists. It’s not like they didn’t know how to handle a couple reactors. Considering they had to live there, they probably dealt with different problems like that all the time.
“Hello?” Whitby asked, “is anyone down there?”
No answer came immediately. He switched over to another channel, then reached out to Morley.
“What is it?” Terrence asked. “What did you find?”
“Seems the power’s back,” Whitby said, “and they might be alive down there still.”
“The scientists?” Terrence sighed. “Or the aliens?”
“Anyone could be.” Whitby paced back toward the chopper. “If they’ve got supplies, they’ll survive until we get this cleared out. Even if it takes a couple days.”
“Interesting. And good. They can answer some questions about their guests.” Terrence grunted. “But you have no sign of the aliens?”
“Nothing’s happened. We’re all still alive, and I haven’t heard or seen anything strange.”
“I wonder if they’re in there,” Morley said. “Waiting for us.”
“That would be stupid,” Whitby replied. “Unless it was an accident.”
“Very possible.” Morley clicked his tongue. “Alright, I want you to blast your way through the rubble. Get us an opening so we can send people down there.”
“Blast?” Whitby lifted a brow. “You want to use more explosives?”
“Do whatever it takes to expand that opening, Captain,” Morley said. “I want people in there before morning.”
Whitby checked his watch. He had five hours to pull that off. He needed targeted explosives if he didn’t want to bring the walls down with it. But that wasn’t Morley’s problem. Nor would he want to hear about the specifics of the plan.
“I’ll make it happen, sir.”
“See that you do.” Morley disconnected the line.
“Of course.” Whitby rolled his eyes. Morley infuriated him for a million reasons. His attitude used to be low on the list. Just then, it really grated on him. But at least he wouldn’t have to deal with the bastard for a while. “Guys, call in some engineers. We’re going to have to remove some obstacles.”
“Sir?” one of his people said.
“We’re clearing the debris to get in there. Hold the perimeter while they muster. And it needs to be fast. Command wants us in there before morning.” Whitby walked toward the chopper. “And get me a mobile command unit! We’re going to be up here for a while. I’m not running this thing out of that thing.”
***
VasCorp Facility, Nevada
Raymond “Flip” Kinnely
A message appeared on the HUD from Sorsha. “Sorry, we have another big problem. Rescue is delayed temporarily. We’ll be along ASAP.”
“What’s that mean?” Flip muttered. “Great.”
“You okay?” Hamish asked.
“No. My backup isn’t coming. Not right away.” Flip went down the hall, then entered the room where the Box had been. A few chairs sat around the area. He took a seat.
“What’re you doing?”
“Relaxing,” Flip said. “VasCorp can’t down here. My friends aren’t coming, and there’s nothing you or I can do. No point in pacing around. Now you can tell me more about your situation. Do you know why you were chosen?”
“We’ve speculated,” Hamish replied. “Quietly, because… as I think you know… the walls have ears. Even now, we’re probably being recorded. But I think it’s because we had families. Some of us weren’t even necessarily at the top of our fields. We just had some available leverage to make us work.”
Flip nodded. “I see. Do you know what they’re doing with your families?”
“Mine are going about their lives under observation. Some of the others… they got defiant. And that led to them being ‘housed.’ Taken to stay in a VasCorp facility. Those people were told they were being kept safe considering what we knew. What a load of crap! Anyway, what’s your connection with them? Besides alien tech.”
“I used to work for VasCorp. Their previous name and the latter.”
“You were a soldier for them too?”
“At first, yes. Then…” Flip chuckled. “Well. A janitor.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Yep. Worked with the sanitation crew out of Los Angeles.” Flip shrugged. “Did it for quite a while. Then… that alien craft crashed in the desert. It was taken to my facility. And I got involved.”
“Tell me what the sarcophagus does.”
Flip didn’t reply.
“Come on! What’s the harm now? It’s gone. There’s no reason not to share.”
“It’s a medical device,” Flip said. “Capable of curing ailments, injuries… honestly, even death.”
“What?” Hamish wrinkled his nose. “You’re serious?”
Flip nodded. “I am.”
“How?”
“I have no idea. You did catch the part where I was most recently a janitor, right?”
“Ah.” Hamish slumped in a chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “So you’ve seen it work.”
“It saved me.”
“From…”
“Death,” Flip replied. “And other things.”
Hamish pursed his lips. “Go on.”
“Age.”
“It… gave you youth?”
“I recently celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday.” Flip took the helmet off. “And as you can see…”
“You’re not a day over thirty-five.”
“Probably because I’ve had a rough couple of weeks. Including the last few hours.” Flip disengaged the shield long enough to scratch his head. He flicked it back on, then set the helmet in his lap. “But yes, it’s a wonder. There’s some kind of crazy power source it uses… and that’s all I can tell you.”
“It must have some sort of matrix.” Hamish frowned. “A means of scanning the subject, determining an idealized state, then correcting the flaws. And it must work quickly to avoid the permanent damage of decay. Oh, I’d love to see it work. Would we ever have stumbled on it?”
Flip shook his head. “We used the last power source on Earth for me. So no, it was dead.”
“Damn. But it’s not single use?”
“No, just needed a battery… basically.”
“That’s so fascinating!” Hamish clapped his hands. He stood, pacing the room. “Do you have any idea what that would do for us? For the human race?”
“Yep. I’ve brought it up myself.”
“We could cure…”
“What?” Flip asked. “Cure what? I hate to be a cynic, but I’ve had time to think about us as a species. Humans, I mean. The systems we have in place wouldn’t allow the Box to be of much use. Someone would get hold of it, charge through the ass for the services or worse, find ways to make cures that cost.”
“You’re right, that’s cynical. You seriously don’t believe that a miracle cure wouldn’t be embraced? That people wouldn’t line up for it?”
