Hunter Killer: Legacy Earth 7, page 14
“RUN!” he shouted, turning on his weapons flashlight.
The entire squad, and their prisoner, sprinted down the dark tunnel as muffled shouts and gunfire made it through the dirt. Covering almost a hundred yards of the tunnel, everything shook violently. Dirt fell around them as a wave of dust was blown toward them from the collapse caused by his damaged weapon exploding.
“Everybody good?” Lance asked as he covered his mouth with his sash and closed his eyes.
“Intact,” Lincoln replied.
“Alive,” Mattias added.
“Unharmed,” Valdivia said.
“Unhappy,” Fluffy cut in.
“No one cares,” Lance said as he started to blink, his eyes burning as dust made its way into them. “Get going.”
Shining his light in the Halthron’s face, he gave the crime lord a shove.
“How’d you end up in a position like this?” Valdivia asked. “Your people are typically so peaceful.”
“The fringe attracts the fringe,” Fluffy replied.
“How’d you get your name?” Mattias asked.
“I picked it to demoralize those I’ve defeated,” Fluffy replied.
“Told ya!” the sniper exclaimed.
Lance looked at his brother, who squinted into the darkness ahead, staring as if he could see something no one else could.
“What’s up?” the captain asked.
“I’m trying to pick up on if there’s an exit or if you just buried us under the streets of this port.”
“There has to be an exit,” Lance explained. “Otherwise, all that white sand being switched out would’ve been noticed. My guess is it leads right back to our employer.”
“And who might that be?” Fluffy asked. “Because my men will go to war for me. They will run down any and all on comers to get me back!”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Valdivia replied before giving him a gentle push. “Keep walking.”
They followed the underground tunnel for what felt like miles before finally reaching a fork. Valdivia approached the fork and looked either way. She pointed to the right.
“We should go this way,” she suggested.
“How come?” Mattias asked.
“The air down here is polluted by a toxin that is filling the air due to heat,” she replied.
“That nearsighted dalhule!” Fluffy snarled.
“What was that?” Lance asked.
“Nothing,” the Halthron replied.
“Then right we go.”
Lance took point and headed down the right path. He kept his light up, as did everyone else until after nearly another mile, they reached a massive, metal door. The captain inspected its surroundings; nothing that’d allow them to open it.
Lincoln moved to the front of the group. Turning his rifle around, he slammed the butt of the weapon against the door several times. After several seconds, a low rumble shook the tunnel, causing more dirt to fall around them. The door retracted into the floor to reveal Nisan and Akta-Thune waiting for them. The Tardig opened his arms wide.
“I’m glad you found my little tunnel!” he exclaimed before looking at Fluffy. “And for bringing me my dear friend!”
“I’m not your friend,” Fluffy snapped back.
“Come, we have much to discuss and a debt to settle.”
Akta-Thune waved them in as several Tardig guards emerged, grabbing Fluffy and escorting him into the underground stronghold.
20
NEXT LEAD
“Nisan, if you’ll go get our mutual friend,” Akta said, looking at his right-hand woman.
“Of course.” She turned and disappeared through a separate set of doors.
“What are you going to do with him?” Lance asked.
“I’m going to get as much information as I can from him, send him to the Alcazar to stand trial for drug trafficking, enslavement of a sentient being, arms smuggling and just about every other crime he’s committed that’ll end with a thousand-year sentence,” Akta replied before crossing his arms. “Then I’m going to take over his operation and use our combined force to take out the other two crime lords. You’re more than welcome to stay and assist.”
“I appreciate the offer, but we’ve got our own mission to complete,” Lance replied.
“What are you going to do once you take over this planet?” Mattias asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What my mandate is,” Akta replied. “Make a better galaxy for all inhabitants.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” the sniper countered.
“Again, we don’t have the firepower to back up that kind of threat,” Lance said, looking at his teammate.
Nisan emerged from the darkness once more with an Adarran in tow. This one was male. In sandy colored clothes with horns filed down, he almost looked like a pale human.
“This is the capable mercenary group I told you about,” Akta said, motioning toward Hrafn squad. “They just managed to take down one of the most dangerous men on this planet and didn’t so much as suffer a scratch.”
“Impressive,” the Adarran said, stroking his chin.
“I think they’d be a good resource for your employer especially with their expansion on the horizon,” the Tardig suggested.
“They do look quite fit, and actually human, which is a bonus. Tell me, humans, what is the most dangerous thing you’ve done?”
“I picked up the gun that this guy dropped and shot the ship that injured him to pieces,” Lance said, nodding toward Akta-Thune.
“And it didn’t break his limbs,” Mattias added.
The Adarran looked at Akta, who nodded in confirmation.
“I must say, anyone above the level four durability scale that’s able to shoot a Tardig weapon and not lose an arm is a resource my employer likely would want.”
“Where’s your boss, then?” Lance asked.
“You aren’t given that information.” The Adarran chuckled. “I will give you a rendezvous point where one of our ships will pick you up and take you to the next destination. From there, you have to prove your worth, and if you survive, you’ll be selected for a mission. Under no circumstances do you meet the employer.”
Lance looked back at his team. All three nodded in agreement to the offer. He turned back to the hornless Adarran and extended his hand.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
The Adarran reached out and delivered a flawless handshake. After letting go of Lance’s hand, he pulled out a similar data disk to the one Akta gave him and offered it to the soldier.
“This has the coordinates in it. Fly there and your ship will be picked up. Be there in one cycle. We do not allow tardiness.”
“Of course, and payment?” Lance asked, leaning into the mercenary persona.
“That you only get half of when assigned a job, the other half is when it gets done,” the Adarran said before looking at Nisan. “I have another meeting to attend to. Please show me out of this place.”
“Of course, right this way,” Nisan said before leading him away from the team.
Lance pulled the data disk Akta gave him and offered it back to the Tardig, who took it.
“Where’s all the other white sand?” the captain asked.
“Enough has been saved to act as evidence; the rest has been cataloged and destroyed,” the Tardig replied. “You can’t build a better galaxy on the backs of drugs and slaves.”
“You’re very noble for looking so terrifying,” Mattias chimed in.
Akta chuckled as he turned to the sniper.
“Believe me, I am terrifying. I didn’t get to the position I’m in today by being kind.”
“Okay, before this spirals out of control, I vote we get to our ship, get off this dust bowl, and continue our mission,” Lance chimed in.
“I agree,” Valdivia replied.
Akta led them through the labyrinth of tunnels he’d made under the entire city. He explained to them that most of the paths led to dead ends and it was designed to assist in him maintaining his cover. He then pointed out that it’d helped him monitor the other crime lords as well, since he could spy on them or take their resources if they’d ever looked to expand into his territory.
Lance shared with him what the Halthron was able to do with his personal shield. He requested that they investigate the technology and keep him updated. Akta-Thune agreed, stating he’d make sure Hrafn squad got the first set of reversed-engineered blueprints, if they were able to successfully work out the equipment.
Finally reaching a ladder, he pointed up, explaining they were at the outer edge of the city, and they could get to their ship without being seen. As Hrafn squad ascended, Lance said goodbye to his fellow SOAT before climbing the ladder himself and emerging just past the last building of the space port.
Closing the hole behind him, Lance covered it with sand. They made their way toward their ship in the star-filled night sky. Looking up at the strange constellations, the captain couldn’t help but smile. Despite the severity of their predicament, he was on the other side of the galaxy. He had his brother back and he was dating an alien!
As a young man, never in a million years did he think he’d even get one of those, let alone all three. Reaching the dune that now covered their ship, Mattias started to dig. After a few moments, he reached the hull. Placing his hand on it, the door dropped open.
Everyone piled in and strapped into their seats. Lance took to the cockpit, closed the door and turned on the craft. Its initial violent shudder as it came to life shook the pile of sand free from the ship. Activating the lift engines, they rose off the ground, leaving a slate of glass where they’d taken off from.
Putting the ship into a hover state, Lance took the data disk out of his pocket and waved Lincoln up. The cyborg approached and took the disk.
“Run a spyware tracer on that,” Lance ordered. “I want to see if it’s anything more than just coordinates.”
“Will do; should only take a few seconds,” Lincoln replied.
Taking the disk, he went back to his seat. Lance removed the hover option and flew into a nearby cloud for cover.
“How we looking back there?” Lance asked after a few minutes of flying in a wide circle.
“We’re clean,” Lincoln replied. “Nothing but a rendezvous site.”
“Good. How secure of a tracking beacon can you generate?” Lance asked.
“I can make it only activate if you have a specific genetic sequence if I want,” Lincoln replied.
“Good, get working on one for Justin to follow.”
Lance turned to his ship’s communication system. He linked with the Gladius. As he did, their ship came in loud and clear.
“I see you’ve taken off; would you like us to pick you up?” Justin asked.
“No, our mission was a success, but it looks like we’re going to have to be picked up by whoever hired the Thalagran,” Lance replied. “Lincoln is currently making a tracking beacon that only you will be able to pick up. What you’ll need to do is hang back, wait until we stop moving, then head our way.”
“And what about communications?” Justin asked.
“I’ve got the ability to conduct quantum entanglement communication,” Lincoln called from the back. “I’ve already paired with the QEC on the Gladius so you can keep in touch with me. No one will be able to listen in.”
“Did you get that?” Lance asked.
“It was a little muffled, but yes,” Justin replied. “Also, Stephanie is making headway on her project. She said if she works around the clock, it should be done in forty-eight hours.”
“Good to know. Tell her that we need her sharp,” Lance countered. “She’s no good to us if she’s falling asleep while on mission.”
“I will inform her, and I’ll be sure to tell her it’s a direct order.”
“Sending coordinates through QEC now,” Lincoln called from the back.
“Thanks, Justin, and you should be receiving the coordinates as we speak,” Lance replied.
“Coordinates received and plugged into navigation. We’ll stay out of scanner range and hide our head signature with a nearby star.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lincoln, upload coordinates to the Whisper, please.”
“On it,” Lincoln replied.
Several seconds later, the navigation system beeped, indicating a new destination was registered in the system. Lance pulled back on the ship’s controls. Bringing their nose up, he started their gradual ascent into space.
“Everyone strapped in?” Lance asked.
“All good!” Mattias replied.
“Belts are tight,” Val said.
“I’m not going to move an inch,” Lincoln added.
Pulling back a little further, the nose rose higher. Accelerating to escape velocity, the G-forces pushed Lance into his seat. His stomach dropped to his feet. Clenching his teeth, he initiated his breathing techniques to help keep him conscious.
Four minutes later, zero gravity settled around them. Lance initiated artificial gravity. Putting the meeting location into his ship’s autopilot, the captain initiated a jump. The blue cylinder formed in front of them as the solar system around them vanished in the blink of an eye.
After several minutes of flying in silence, Valdivia unstrapped herself and made her way to the cockpit. She placed her hands on the back of Lance’s chair. The captain looked up at her. He could feel worry emanating from her.
“I don’t like that we have to jump through another hoop to get Chadavia back either,” Lance said, reaching up and taking her hand. “He’s a tough man. I’m sure he’ll be fine until we can get to him.”
“I know,” she whispered, nodding. “It doesn’t stop me from worrying, though. I can’t help but think if we used the full resources of humanity and the Alcazar, we’d have found them already.”
“I agree,” Lance replied, biting the inside of his cheek. “I don’t want to risk their lives if they see we’re coming.”
“I know… I know.”
“I have a good feeling about this lead. We’ve got a cyborg who can get into any hardware system in the galaxy. He’ll probably be able to get their location. From there, we can bring the full might of the galaxy to bear.”
“You promise?” she asked.
“Cross my heart,” Lance replied. “And when we find whoever’s responsible, we’ll make them pay.”
“I’ve got to say, the little bit of ruthless side you’re showing’s a little bit of a turn-on,” she said, gently squeezing his hand before releasing it and returning to her seat.
“Approaching destination,” the ship’s computer system announced. “Recommend taking over manual controls.”
Lance turned off the auto pilot. Taking full control back, they dropped out of jump space. As they did, he brought them to a dead stop. They waited in relative silence for the next few hours, keeping an eye on sensors and the strange space around them. Tensions were too high to converse. Who knew how much time they had before their mission would become arbitrary.
In the distant blackness, Lance noticed a faint aura of blue. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, looking at the same color for so long. Gradually, the aura grew brighter. The captain’s heart started to race as he glanced back over his shoulder.
“Buckle in,” Lance ordered. “We’ve got company!”
The blue aura bubbled and bulged before shattering in a flash of white light. As it dimmed, the light revealed a ship larger than the Manifest Destiny with jagged, almost Svikari features. Something was different about its design almost as if it were a hybrid ship as it showed some Galio design as well.
“Humans in the Calnar vessel,” a deep, highly synthesized voice crackled over their radio. “Approach the hangar bay, initiate landing and do not exit your ship. Doing so will result in immediate destruction of you and your vessel.”
The front of the ship opened, revealing an enormous hangar. Lance initiated the controls and slowly approached the ship. His stomach turned as he focused on his breathing to maintain control of himself.
“Are you sure this is our best choice?” Mattias asked.
“Right now, it’s our only one,” Lance replied as they passed through the hangar’s shielding.
21
TRES
The hangar closed as they landed. Dozens of ships dotted the inside of the ship, most of which were of unrecognizable designs. Several pilots looked around, catching Lance’s eye. The captain nodded to them as he unstrapped himself.
Getting up, he leaned against the back of his seat, took off his boots, and shook out small mounds of sand that’d built up on the previous planet. As he shook out the rest of his clothing, a small mound rested around his feet.
A vacuum sound rang out, pulling the sand into the floor panels. Lance made his way to the back of the ship. His team was in the middle of the same process. Sitting down in one of the open seats, the captain leaned against the hull of the ship.
“Can you tell if they’re pursuing or not?” Lance asked, selecting his words carefully while pointing to his ears.
Lincoln nodded.
“No, but I’m pretty sure if they are, we’ll lose them in this ship,” he said before mouthing that the Gladius could track them anywhere.
“How’s your suit holding up?” Lance asked, looking at Valdivia.
“Under the sea, a current change or natural disaster can send sediment covering swaths of our oceans,” she replied. “We designed our suits to withstand sand above or below water. I’m all good.”
“Lucky you, nothing worse than sand in the crack!” Mattias cut in while desperately working to get himself free from the pale grains.
Lincoln pulled his console in front of himself. He typed on it for a few seconds before placing his palm on the screen. His pupils flickered red several times before he lowered his hand.
“What was that?” Lance asked.
“I messed with the ship’s electronics,” the cyborg replied. “It’s nothing special, just altered currents in this craft’s closed system to interfere with any external listening devices. All they’ll get is a high-pitched whine if they point microphones toward us. It’s not much, but it’s a little privacy because I have to ask… How dumb are you?”
