Renegade Alliance by J.N. Chaney

Author:J.N. Chaney [Chaney, J.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Speculative
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2019-10-13T16:00:00+00:00

12

Despite Carl’s assurances, we approached the capsule’s storage chamber with extreme caution. The heavy artillery he spoke of were powered down, their noses pointed harmlessly at the ground. That wasn’t to say I didn’t move quickly to get past them. To our right, instead of a stone wall, was a long series of windows. I could hear something rushing but couldn’t make out what it was.

“There is a natural underground river,” Carl said, almost as though he’d read my thoughts. “Three meters deep.”

“Well, we ain’t stopping to enjoy the view,” I said, not slowing my pace.

I hit the open door a few seconds later, Rackham and Petra hot on my heels. The room itself wasn’t much. A square three meters or so, though all the available wall space was taken up by panels of blinking lights. It reminded me a little of the hub where we had first discovered Carl, just without all the wires. Four silver grates on the ceiling must have housed fans or some kind of ventilation system.

My eyes took in the entire space, looking for any sign of Hygeia’s tampering, but saw nothing. In the middle of the room was the capsule with the drives. I recognized it immediately, though it was slightly different from Athena’s. This looked like a newer version, but it still had the same basic shape.

“Carl,” I snapped, pointing at the workstation. “Do another check. I don’t want to have to swap it out with something that weighs exactly the same or something.”

The Cognitive tilted his head in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

I flapped a hand. “Never mind. Just check to make sure we aren’t going to trigger something by getting too close.”

“I don’t detect anything obvious like the guns outside,” he said after a brief pause. “However, Hygeia may have buried sensors in places I cannot access. Please proceed with caution, Captain.”

“Wonderful. Just be ready to shut something down.” I glanced at Petra and Rackham. “You two be ready to cover me, got it?”

I edged forward carefully, keeping a watchful eye out for any change in the room. Nothing happened and I stood in front of the capsule in a handful of seconds. I stared down at the thing for a moment, wondering if it would be enough to save Athena. It damn well better be, I decided, and reached down for it.

My hand hesitated for a fraction, but I couldn’t just leave it. Steeling myself for some kind of rebuttal, I grabbed it and jumped back. Nothing happened, and I felt like a fool when Petra burst into laughter. “We’re never going to speak of that,” I griped.

“Oh, I don’t think I can promise—”

Rackham’s response was cut off by an alarm screaming, the sound bouncing around the room at top volume. The door slammed closed, cutting off our exit, and Hygeia’s form appeared, but it differed. I realized that it wasn’t her, at least not in hard light form. It was a holo version of her, and she looked angry.

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