Hunter Killer: Legacy Earth 7, page 27
Dexter shoved the sniper before proceeding to insult his mother.
“What are teams going to look like?” Valdivia asked.
“Probably going to be Stephanie, Mattias and me again,” Dexter said, shifting his focus back to the conversation.
“Actually, Dex, we’re moving as a single unit this time,” Lance countered. “Scott’s going to dock, let us off, then immediately break off, re-enter stealth mode and hide in the system until we call him back. If we must split up it’ll be you, Lincoln and I.”
“Oh yay!” Stephanie cut in, looking at Valdivia, who clapped a little.
“If there are any doors Lincoln can’t get through, I’m going to need that right hand of doom to punch a hole through it,” Lance added.
“Human battering ram, got it… love it!” the giant said, offering two thumbs-up.
“Are you sure you don’t want to split up immediately?” Mattias asked. “We could go for the engine rooms and destroy the station’s power source; it might make your job easier.”
“If we had clear blueprints of the station, I’d give you a cart full of explosives and tell you to go to town,” Lance replied. “But without knowing every corridor of that place and what potential traps might be set around, I don’t want to risk splitting the team.”
“Speaking of which,” Scott called back. “Does anyone have any idea what kind of fighting security force this Data Broker has?”
Everyone looked at Valdivia. She laughed and shook her head.
“How would I know? This person’s a ghost; no one’s one hundred percent sure they’re even real, or a person. For all we know, it could be artificial intelligence!” Val countered.
“An organization that organized would have to have an AI assisting them,” Stephanie chimed in as she plummeted deep into thought. “With such unilateral movements and the logistics of a galactic wide net, without an AI to help, it’d end up being total and utter chaos.”
“Then move with intention,” Lance added, looking at the spiral in front of their ship. “Go so quickly that if there is an AI, we hit before it has a chance to pick us up.”
“You really think you can outthink an AI?” Lincoln asked.
“I mean we’ve got you… can’t you just jam it or something?” Dexter interrupted.
“I’m a cyborg,” Lincoln replied, turning to the giant. “I’m not some be-all, end-all technological god. My capabilities are still limited by my physical body. It’s just extremely enhanced.”
“How extremely are we talking?” Dexter asked.
“I am to you, what you are to mankind of two thousand,” Lincoln replied. “So, lightyears ahead, but nowhere near AI levels.”
“Who knows, maybe in another hundred years,” Stephanie added.
“Or if we’re able to make enough sense of Predecessor technology that we could integrate it harmlessly into your systems,” Valdivia suggested. “Compared to them, we may as well be wielding sticks and stones.”
“If that’s the case, then just maybe I’d be able to keep up with an AI having an upgrade of that caliber,” the cyborg replied.
“Maybe one day,” Stephanie added.
Lance turned back to the cockpit. He remained tightly fastened into his seat.
“What’s our ETA to destination?”
“We were close enough that it’ll fortunately only be about two hours,” Scott replied.
“How’s the heat sync system holding up?” the captain asked.
“Best out of any ship I’ve flown so far,” the pilot replied. “If everything’s accurate, though, I’ll only have a ten-minute window for error before having to vent if the Whisper isn’t going to blow up.”
“You’ll have more than enough time,” Lance said as he turned his attention to his multi-tool. “I want you all studying that scan. If you find any suggestions, I want them before we get to the Data Broker’s station.”
“Yes, sir,” Hrafn squad called out in unison.
Lance stared at the vague diagram. He rotated his seat to face away from his team as his mind drifted. His hand instinctively lay to rest on his chest over Michael’s dog tags that were tucked under his armor.
Taking several deep breaths, the captain maintained a tenuous control over his emotional state, not wanting Valdivia to sense him and get worried, which could distract her at a crucial moment.
Silence fell over the team as they all used their own multi-tools to try and discover a better route. Lincoln and Stephanie both ran simulations around the messages track to discover corridors or hallways from residual signal bouncing. They managed to map out air ducts and fractions of hallways as they did. Nothing of tremendous use.
“Sir, we’re approaching our target,” Scott called out after what felt like mere minutes of study.
“Good,” Lance replied, turning off his multi-tool. “How’s heating?”
“It’s starting to push it, sir,” the pilot replied.
Lance opened the QEC channels to his father and Justin.
“Initiate escort,” he commanded, turning the radio off as quickly as he’d turned it on.
“Dropping out of jump on the far side of the neutron star,” Scott announced. “Just a warning, we’re going to be close enough there may be some odd sensations.”
“What kind of sensations?” Dexter asked.
The blue spiral vanished as the windscreen darkened to block the searing white light of the nearby star. Through the hull, dampers and artificial gravity, Lance felt a pull on him as if someone was pulling on his insides toward the blur of a rotating star.
“Hrrrnnn,” Dexter groaned, holding his hand over his mouth.
“I swear to all that’s holy, if you turn this ride into the vomit comet, I’m going to cork you on our next flight,” Mattias warned.
“No… no, I think I’m good,” the giant replied, placing his free hand on his stomach.
Lance, Stephanie and Lincoln all deployed their helmets.
“It’ll be safer in here,” Lincoln said, looking at the sniper.
Mattias summoned his helmet as well.
“What’s with the pull?” the giant asked.
Lincoln glanced out the front; his eyes flickered red then back.
“That’s doing almost seven hundred rotations a second.”
“That’ll explain the heightened gravity,” Mattias said.
“And check your radios. Being this close to a pull like that will even disrupt anything that isn’t quantum communication,” Valdivia added.
Lance attempted to open a normal channel to his team’s suit. Sure enough, nothing but static. He shut off the radio and looked out the cockpit as Scott pulled them around the outer gravitational well of the neutron star.
As they broke its horizon, Lance’s HUD immediately pinged allied ships in the far distance. They were so far, he couldn’t see them, but judging by how many there were, it had to have been the Manifest Destiny and Gladius armada.
“What in all the galaxy is that?!” Scott whispered in awe.
Floating in the dark was a station so large, it made the Alcazar seem like a speck by comparison. The pentahedron station had massive, yet elegant protrusions off the edge of each of its five corners. A gap sat in the middle, large enough to park Tachyon.
Smaller repair bots flew around the megastructure, despite going hundreds, if not thousands of miles an hour, they appeared to hardly move against the gargantuan backdrop.
“That’s impressive,” Stephanie said.
“It’s not that impressive,” Dexter muttered.
“What were you expecting, a halo?” Lance asked.
He pulled up his rudimentary scan and compared it to the gargantuan ship before them. He lined up what looked like it made the most sense for the message to travel as it was sent. He lined the origination point up with one of the inner sides that sported a thick metal sectioned wall that appeared to be on rails.
“Do scans show any shields protecting that thing?” Lance asked.
“Negative; all readings suggest the star will rip them off as soon as they manifest,” Scott replied. “Where are we setting down?”
Lance unbuckled himself. Moving to the cockpit, he pointed just above that inner door. He glanced at the internal system’s heat syncs. They were minutes from reaching critical failure.
“Set her down right there and eject the syncs into the ship,” Lance ordered.
“What?” Dexter shouted from the back.
“If we dock with that thing, I don’t think Lincoln will be able to shut off a station-wide alarm,” Lance countered.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence!” the cyborg cut in.
“Could you do that?” Stephanie asked.
“Oh, absolutely not,” Lincoln replied.
“Won’t a hull breach trigger just as many alarms?” Mattias asked.
“Not an intruder one,” Lance answered. “Scott, you’re going to burn a hole in that ship’s hull. As soon as a hole is made, you’re going to dock with it, drop us off and then find a place to hide. Do you think you’ll be able to pull that off?”
A smirk of confidence spread across the pilot’s thin lips as he nodded.
“I’ll dock on that thing like a tick on a dog,” Scott replied. “And when it’s time for an exfil, let me know where you’re at. I’ll blow another hole in it and catch you guys as you get sucked out.”
“I love the confidence!” Lance said, patting his pilot’s shoulder before drawing his rifle and turning to his team. “Hrafn squad… let’s lock and load.”
39
PHASE 2
Lights ran along the outer edges of the station. As they passed by the boxy mound of metal, they emerged, revealing cannons the size of the Gladius. Everyone held their breath as the guns came online.
Pellets of light spun rapidly in their chambers as they pointed at the distraction fleet. Despite being small in comparison, each round was large enough to engulf all but the largest ship.
“No wonder no one ever finds this place,” Scott whispered.
“And no eyewitness reports for those that do,” Lance added. “Are any of them aimed our way?”
“Negative,” the pilot replied. “No power surges indicating it’s about to fire either.”
Scott closed the distance to their infiltration site. He rotated so the bottom of their ship was practically touching the space station’s hull.
“Everyone got their helmets on?” Scott asked.
Dexter summoned his.
“Affirmative,” Lance replied, readying his weapon.
“Good, get ready to use those jump jets. You’re going to be fighting decompression,” the pilot added.
He sealed off the cockpit from the rest of their ship.
“Equalizing interior pressure, to exterior atmosphere,” the computer announced.
With a hiss, all the air was pulled out of the ship’s hold and its artificial gravity was deactivated. A series of low thuds emanated from the back of their ship. Several seconds later, a shudder rocked them. Everyone unstrapped as the floor slid open. A rush of air violently shot into the hull, hitting Lance like an anvil.
If not for the magnetic boots automatically activating, he would’ve been pulled off his feet and slammed into the ceiling. Holstering his rifle, Lance struggled against the gale force winds as he leaned forward.
Grabbing the edge of his ship, he looked at the jagged hole burned into the side of the space station. It was just large enough for two people to pass through at a time. As he rolled his shoulders back, the JJ systems roared to life. Pushing off the ground, he propelled himself toward the hole.
Making himself as streamlined as possible, the captain was rattled in his armor like the beans in a maraca. Every stabilizer and damper were pushed to their limits, preventing him from being turned into a slurry in his suit.
Inching forward, he reached out to grab the outer wall and pull himself in. It was just out of reach. Warnings flashed in his helmet of overheating. The captain clenched his jaw, willing himself that extra inch. His will wasn’t enough.
“He’s not going to make it!” Valdivia shouted.
“He’s going to make it!” Dexter replied.
The giant jumped at Lance, wrapping his arms around the captain’s waist while his face place was filled by Dexter’s knees. The extra weight added by Dexter and the heavier armor allowed both men to be pulled into the space station.
Falling in, Dexter landed on his knees while Lance’s helmet sparked off the ground. A shock tore through his spine from the impact as both men bounced apart. Rolling to a stop, the captain groaned as his teammate hopped right back to his feet.
“Was that necessary?” Lance asked as the rest of his team entered the breach one by one.
“We’re in, aren’t we?” Dexter replied.
“Yeah, but you didn’t need to tombstone me.”
Dexter walked over to Lance and offered his hand. Grabbing the giant by his forearm, he was quickly pulled to his feet as the Whisper closed its hold and broke away. As it did, a green shield formed over the hole, only to be ripped away a split second later.
“We need to get out of here before those repair drones show up,” Lance ordered, drawing his rifle and motioning toward a nearby door. “That’s the shortest route to the signal’s origination.”
They rushed to the door, fighting the decompression as they moved. Reaching it, Lincoln placed his hand on a piece of translucent film that sat on the metal at the door’s side. His eyes flickered, but nothing happened.
“Everything okay?” Lance asked.
“It’s not working,” Lincoln replied.
“It’s okay; one in five have performance issues,” Dexter cut in.
“Not the time, big guy,” Stephanie added before kneeling next to the control. “It’s likely a hard lockdown until the breach is sealed.”
Lance nodded and looked around the room for anything they could possibly use. It was a massive observation deck with nothing but polished floors, walls and ceilings. Not a single item inside existed to cover the hole.
Lance pointed at Dexter and waved for the giant to follow. Stepping away from his team, the captain activated his plasma blade. Shoving it into the ground, sparks flew as metal melted.
Dexter knelt, putting one hand on the area Lance was cutting, while the other was on solid ground. The captain pulled against the metal with all his might. Cutting a jagged circle, the muscles in his arm and legs started to burn.
Reaching his starting point, Lance deactivated his blade. As he did, he stepped back. Dexter removed his hand and leaned away. The portion of the cut-away ground was pulled free and spun toward the hole.
Slamming into it, pressure held the piece in place as the violent winds immediately died. Lance turned to look at his brother, who started to interface once more. Stephanie activated her multi-tool and joined him in the process.
“This is an interesting one,” Lincoln muttered.
“You’re telling me,” Stephanie scoffed.
“Are you going to be able to get through?” Lance asked as he and Dexter returned.
“Yeah, it’ll just take a little bit of time,” Lincoln replied. “This is even more advanced than Reeve programming… it’s beautiful.”
“And elegant,” Stephanie added.
“Val, you feeling anything?” Lance asked, looking at the Jarog.
“Nothing living in the immediate vicinity. I’ll let you know if I do sense anyone,” Valdivia replied.
“We’re in!” Lincoln exclaimed.
With an electric buzz, the wall shifted to a translucent, liquid state. Valdivia gasped as waves lazily rippled over the surface.
“No way!” the Jarog whispered as she pushed to the front.
“What are we looking at?” Lance asked.
“In nearly every Predecessor ruin, we’ve found solid walls that were in the middle of corridors thought to lead to nowhere,” Valdivia said, placing her palm gently against the barrier, causing more ripples. “Everyone thought they were dead ends, designed to confuse people who’d try to rob the ruins. I thought there had to be more than that, that it was just tech that was no longer active.”
“What, some kind of T-1000 liquid metal wall?” Dexter asked.
Valdivia shrugged. Before anyone could stop her, she stepped through. Lance’s heart skipped a beat as he took a half step toward her. A vague, pink blur stood on the other side of the rippling metal.
“Val, are you okay?” Lance asked.
“Oh wow, you guys really need to see this!” she exclaimed.
“What if it solidifies while I’m halfway through it?” Dexter asked as Stephanie, Lincoln and Mattias walked through.
“Then move fast,” Lance replied. “Don’t give it a chance to.”
As he stepped through, the wall wrapped around him like metallic saran wrap for several seconds. There was minor resistance, and he broke through with ease, re-uniting with the rest of his team. Lance turned to watch Dexter. The giant’s form took a running start and jumped at the wall. As he flew through, his arms were at his side, feet together and back perfectly straight. Once through, he landed gracefully.
“I should’ve re-activated the door just before impact,” Lincoln jested.
“That would’ve been really funny!” Valdivia chimed in.
“Oh yeah, make fun of the big guy who doesn’t want to walk through unknown technology that can solidify when he’s halfway through it!” Dexter’s tone dripped with sarcasm as he threw his hands up in the air.
He paused. Slowly lowering his arms, the giant retracted his helmet, intrigue filling his features.
“Now aren’t those pretty!” he whispered.
Lance turned to follow Dexter’s gaze. A deep grey corridor stretched as far as the eye could see. For several hundred yards, stands displayed both offensive and defensive weapons. Some were familiar, others, completely alien.
“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t even think about touching those!” Stephanie scolded.
Lincoln approached a stand. He looked it up and down before kneeling in front of it. After several seconds, he grabbed the bracelet that sat on it, to the disbelief and gasps of everyone aside from Stephanie.
