The Mission

Part 10

Her eyes widened, and her expression went blank. A special control nanite set. She probably knew the type. Now they were moving from her stomach and all through her body. She could give the order to have it removed. But the nanites were made so she wouldn't. I didn't like them and this was the only set I had but, for someone like Tsumiko, I didn't feel as bad that they were inside her.  

I could do anything with her. I could make her dismantle the entire Embracing Sisterhood project. But they would still be in place and someone else would take her role. No, this would have to be a long game. I'd have to make sure Tsumiko remained for as long as possible. The perfect sort of sleeper she dreamed about implanting in the other side.

I instructed her to ease security measures and redirect forces away from my extraction site. Make things a little easier for me. I could tell from her expression that she was trying to resist the efforts of the nanites on her brain and body chemistry. And no control nanite was perfect. It was like planning suggestions in her mind. She could theoretically reject them.

She clenched her teeth before saying, "That's a good idea. Probably wise…I mean…we're all girls. No need to be afraid of other girls." She was trying to work it through in her mind. Excellent.

She let me corrupt the shapeshifting little girls project files and gave herself the reason that, "We're probably better starting from scratch." I quizzed her for any other secrets. She displayed pride in all her ideas, but they were not at the stage of the other projects I'd seen.

Looking at her, I felt regret that she could only feel calm ease compared to her suppressed desire to throttle me and yell for guards. I told myself I'd get over it. As one last thing, I asked for a special document out of the base under her authority. The other girls were starting to get curious about us, but Tsumiko's expression seemed to calm them.

As a final thing, I whispered in Tsumiko's ear, "By the way, my name is Captain Kallista Barrett. You won't remember it, but I just wanted you to know…" I didn't have to say that but there was a bit of satisfaction in her eyes for a moment before the new memory was interrupted and she glanced around like she'd suddenly forgotten something. She waved it off, smiled at me, and noted, "Take care, Nora. I'll see you again soon."

With that, I began my trek back to the surface. I was deep inside the twisting corridors of the base but, at the very least, I might be able to take one of the regular paths back. They might even let me out the front gate. But Tsumiko had seen through the Valkyrie illusion, as I figured. I didn't have a good plan for regular sisters who did the same.

I lamented I'd not been able to record much video, although I did take a few extra snaps before working my way out of the lower chambers.

I was near the data systems area where I'd been before when I heard that door click open and begin to swing. I dashed behind it and saw a flash of purple. I could tell immediately it wasn't Reena. Things would have to get complicated.

I stayed where I was till she was almost out. Then I slammed her against the wall and dragged her back into the room. I wasn't fond of violence. I'd had enough of it to last a lifetime. But I knew she had to be stopped before she could alert anyone.

She clawed and fought against my hold around her neck. I pressed her into the floor with my body. She heaved me into the server rack, which broke a glass section, sending shards across the floor. She tried to get to her feet. I kicked them out from under her and stood over her. She quickly locked her legs around mine and dragged me to the ground. I dragged her to the ground too.

We rolled towards the AC unit. Her forehead was bleeding and I figured mine didn't look much better. I heaved her at the closest unit, which started to groan and shudder before cutting out. She tripped me up again before dashing to her feet and running for the other side of the room. Knowing she could trip all sorts of lockdown alarms, I chased her. I kept pace but right behind her.

We rounded the last corner as she was clearly going for what looked like a panic button. I could move in front of her and smash her into the nearest server. But I caught sight of Reena. She looked terrified. I hesitated but only for a moment.

Another plan. Insurance. I'd set it up beforehand if I got into a situation. The explosives I'd set were tied to my GPS. Set to go if I was far away. Like the explosive tap in the server not far from the Durga. I took a few steps back and shielded my face. I hoped Reena would be far enough away, then executed my plan.

It was a small but fiery blast that sprayed bits of metal and glass from the server, sending a tall flame nearly to the ceiling. The Durga Mori braced herself but was only momentarily stopped. Before she could push the button, the entire panel went dark, along with several banks of lights.

I reached into a pocket, clenched my fist, and smashed her in the face with the heaviest hunk of metal I had on me. This time, she went down hard. Reena sobbed as she hid her face behind the table. The fire raged through the server and more lights turned off.

I clenched my teeth. I had no obligation to give a shit about Mori or Reena. They were on the enemy side. But I found myself slipping Mori's slumping arms around me and lifting her onto my shoulders. She could easily choke me as soon as she woke up.

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Straining and coughing, I looked to the sliver of Reena I could see. I called to her over the screeching fans and roaring flames, "Let me help you!"

She stayed where she was. I was sure I could hear her sobbing and I could see the edge of the doll I'd given her. I wasn't going to let her die here.

I crouched beside the table and ducked down. She pushed herself into the corner. The fire suppression system shrieked. It began spraying but that didn't help much, not for this kind of fire. I knew the last, protective option was to vent all oxygen from the room. Soon, the door would be completely sealed.

I stretched an arm out for Reena and begged, "Please. I don't want anyone to die."

Reena's mystical, wide eyes searched me. I could see anger and fear. She didn't understand except that I had hurt her friend and now everything was scary. And I was the scariest thing of all. She looked down at the dolly, holding it close. I hoped that meant something. We didn't have long. Soon, because of the smoke and the suppression cloud, it would be impossible to see anything.

I bent my hand out as far as I could without touching her. I thought I felt Mori's arms tense. More complication. I was about to give up when Reena stretched out for me. Her eyes said she didn't trust me, but she clutched the dolly close. Holding on to Reena, I ran as fast as I could through the smoke.

When we got to the door, the air alarm went off. I just had my hands around the latch as I started to feel a rush in my ears. I hoped I wasn't too late.

Air rushed through the door, trying to suck it closed as I pushed. Reena helped as much as she could, but the force was overwhelming. The alarm beat was getting louder. Suddenly, hands on the other side struggled with us against the door. Gingerly, it eased open and the three of us spilled through before everyone retreated and the way snapped shut.

The other sisters took Mori from my shoulders and milled about. I stayed by Reena, who had a big cut and smoke stains all over her face. I brushed her cheek and she scowled at me harshly. I bowed my head for as much of an apology as possible. She looked down at the dolly and held it up to me. I shook my head and assured her, "Keep her. She's yours now." The memory of all that doll had been through was enough for me. Reena watched my face with a stern expression, which slowly softened. I couldn't be sure she wouldn't tell others what I'd done. But she put her head down and said nothing else.

This would be our goodbye.

I worked my way out of the crowd as the overhead lights began to flicker and a few powered off. I'd set the GPS just for this one. I still had the C4 in electrical and the explosive unit in the other server room (not to mention the additional sabotage on delay). They would be my way out.

I knew my illusion had to look weird, especially with all the fighting I'd done. I hoped there was nothing glaringly-strange, but I had no mirror to check myself in, so I did my best to stay away from others. Eventually, I made my way to the shaft I'd entered through. So many sisters were rushing about that no one saw me enter.

The calm stillness of the shaft was relaxing, even with the limited amount of light. I took the end of the rope from where I'd hidden it and looped it through my hook. This would be, I hoped, the last hard part of my exit.

I climbed slowly, especially with the first creaks of the old piping. I flashed my best light sources around and braced myself against the side of the shaft to take some of the weight off the rope. It still felt like I was an inch from dragging the pipe from the wall. I could move faster because I wasn't checking for dangers. Still, it was a long ascent. When I finally reached the top, I gave one last good tug to heave myself over the edge. It seemed this was all the pipe had left. It tore from the wall, ripping a good bit of the concrete with it and tumbling over and down the shaft. I clung to some nearby pipes and sliced the cord before the weight ripped me down with it. So much for that…. The pipe smashed around the bottom of the shaft like a bell slamming into the ground. It echoed through the entire chamber and, it felt like, through the whole of the Earth.    

Sprays of water issued from the cracks. I moved carefully over the edge. Sparks lit the corridor along with my small light. It didn't take long to get back to the access stairs. I hurried up them and made my way to the electrical systems. I hoped my explosives were still in place.

Once I was out of that corridor and clear, I found the most inconspicuous and darkened area I could find and shifted the GPS for the C4. The explosion dwarfed the first one, as it took out several transformers in buzzing, brightly-colored swarms followed by a tower of flame. I felt a slight punch in my chest with the shockwave and then hurried away.

Sisters of all types were everywhere. They swarmed, yelled, and ran. They were armed, but I was armed with a document from their leader. I found a window to check my illusion in. The smoke had changed the consistency, making the color of the illusion muddled. It would have to suffice. It was dark, so I doubted most would notice. I hustled away from the data servers and back towards the chapel. Once I'd made sure all my electronic sabotage efforts were active, I set off the final explosive. No sudden burst of fire. But I could hear an internal alarm from the server building. It was drowned out by the raging flames behind it.