“Where did she go?”
“I don’t know! Start looking!”
I could hear more security personnel closing in from all directions. I stifled a cough as the thick sticky foam tickled my nose. My heart was racing as I lay on my back completely covered in the thick fire suppression foam. The stuff tickled my nose and gummed up my hair. Ew.
“Fan out and start looking for her! You two, seal off the area. No one in or out until we find her!” A voice of command started issuing orders. “Get fire control down here to dissipate this foam stat! And who has got an update for me on the security cameras? Come on people, it's just one girl! We’re better than this.”
I smirked as I reached up and pulled a strand of hair from my mouth. I got some of the foam in my mouth. Disgusting. It tasted nasty. I tapped into my power and formed a force shield around my head. Much better. A lightbulb went off in my head and I formed a small dome over my body so that I had a mini crawl space under the foam. Brilliant Ginny! Now if only I’d thought of this earlier!
I used my ability to slowly open a path away from the search party that was closing in on me. I positioned myself so they would pass on either side of me and then waited. They bickered back and forth as they did their best to search the area. The foam was waist high and so long as I didn’t move they were unlikely to spot me. It wasn’t until they were almost on top of me that I wondered if they had some kind of heat sensor that would spot me through the foam. Then again my force shield might block that kind of scanning. I wasn’t sure. In any case, they passed me by without incident and I started moving again.
A half-hour later I slipped out of their cordoned-off area. It wasn’t that hard. The guards grew bored and unattentive. I just had to wait until they got a radio call and were distracted. Once away I wasn’t in the clear. Anyone who spotted me with all the nasty foam coating my clothes would know something was up.
I accessed the maintenance crawl spaces. The veneer of modernism wasn’t peasant in the crawlspace. Things looked positively ancient here out of sight of the public eye. I found myself wondering if this station was even safe. Some of the wires had their coating peeling off where it had dried out and cracked. Other spots were taped up so the bare wires wouldn’t short out. I was glad my ship was built by a more advanced race than us humans or it never would have survived long enough for me to find it.
Suppressing a shudder at the shoddy state of things I kept moving. At least they had bots that cleaned the dust and cobwebs in here. The access area was just tall enough that I could walk if I bent over and crouched slightly. I pulled up my map of the station. I needed a change of clothing and to get cleaned up. My hair was a mess. I couldn’t go buying something from a store right now, not with how messed up my clothing was. I’d draw far too much attention. I’d have to steal something. My eyes locked onto the security station's HQ and I found myself grinning.
I was only in this mess because of them. Who better to donate to my wardrobe than them? I suppressed a chuckle and made for their headquarters. They would have fabricators there that I could use. I got the ball rolling while I made my way there. Hacking into the 3D printers was child’s play when you could bypass all the security. The machine wasn’t up to the standards of the Shadow Hunter but it would do. I wasn’t picky. I programmed it to make me a knockoff warsuit. I say knockoff because it wasn’t capable of building something as powerful as my ship. It would look almost as cool though so I wouldn’t complain.
Its ETA was several hours, but I’d expected that. I had a long way to go before I made it there anyway and moving in the maintenance access spaces was going to take time. The station was modest in size, but it would still take several hours to walk the perimeter. I was heading for the central area where the main HQ for security was located. A train or lift would get me there in a few minutes but I couldn’t use those just now. I shrugged and got moving. It would be a race to see who won, me or the printer.
* * *
I closed the maintenance access door behind me and stretched. Being hunched over like that for long periods was annoying. My enhanced body coped well, but I still took advantage of the freedom of movement. I was perched on a ledge overlooking a plaza. I was close now. Just a few minutes and I’d be at the HQ for station security. I glanced at the time. It was going to be close. The printer was almost finished with my items.
The billboard overhead flashed as the ad disappeared and my face filled the screen. I scowled at the abysmal skill with which the image had been taken. Such amateurs! It wasn’t flattering to my image at all. I studied it for a moment before realizing where it was taken. It was from before this entire fiasco had begun. I should have figured. I’d been tampering with or avoiding the cameras since then.
“They could have at least used an image of me smiling. Whatever, that will just make it harder for people to recognize me!” I smirked. Did they think I’d be upset with them chasing me? That was half the fun!
I glanced one more time at the image before moving on, only to freeze and do a double-take. My eyes narrowed as I looked more closely at the image. A mohawk caught my eye in the background. Yes, it was the same telltale mohawk I’d noticed previously, just before I’d made the mistake of asking that jerk about a bar. A closer examination revealed the image was captured during the conversation with that turdbutt. I was suspicious by nature, but coincidence? I think not.
“So, you are some hotshot around here? Pulling the strings of station security to do your bidding eh?” I clenched my fists together. I knew it was a mistake talking to that loser. I lacked proof but that was solved easily enough. I tapped into their systems and slipped through their digital security with ease. A short while later I’d pilfered their systems and had Bob sort through the copious amounts of information.
“Talk to me Bob, is this guy behind the security people coming to arrest me?”
“It appears so, Captain. I’ve found a recording of his call in the system. Would you like to hear it?”
“No. Just give me the highlights.”
“Very well. He ordered a team of security, who are corrupt individuals and little more than thugs, to pick you up. He emphasized scaring you was a priority. Seems he wanted to swoop in as some white knight to save you and get you released.”
“Seriously?” I laughed. “After how he acted? And he thought I’d fall for that! What an idiot.”
Seems I might need to pay him a visit before I leave. He needs another good kick to the balls. I looked around but no one had taken notice of me yet. I moved to the ladder to descend, it was retracted to prevent pedestrians from messing with it. That did little to deter me, however. I climbed down until I reached the bottom and then let go, dropping the last ten feet easily.
I drew a few glances but I just flashed a brilliant smile and moved on my way before they could get a good look at me. The image they’d chosen didn’t do me justice and given my disheveled appearance with foam and night clubbing attire. I didn’t look much like the image they’d posted on the billboard.
I lengthened my stride. It only took one person to sound the alarm and I was almost to their HQ. They would have plenty of personnel on hand to respond unless they were all out searching for me, which may be the case since I’d violated the cardinal rule and attacked one of their own. Law enforcement had a knee-jerk overreaction any time one of theirs got hurt. Heaven forbid you kill one of them. That was like opening the gates of hell. Rules and procedures went out the window then. They did pretty much whatever they wanted or had to to get the ones responsible. Talk about double standards.
I could understand it though. If I had friends, I’d do whatever was necessary to avenge them too.
Getting into the HQ was almost too easy. I just walked in. They were a public service after all. Accessing their equipment would have been more challenging without my expertise. The place was busy and the staff looked overworked. So I just waited for the right moment and then slipped into the restricted access area behind one of the staff during the chaos.
Subverting the cameras as I went, I quickly reached their manufacturing facilities. A wide grin formed on my face as I walked up to the industrial-sized 3D printers.
“Ha, with two minutes to spare! Take that!” I don’t know why I was gloating to a machine, but I was immensely pleased with myself. Okay, maybe I was just weird. That wasn’t news to anyone who’d interacted with me for long.
It took a minute to figure out which one was building more things and by the time I’d found it, it was almost finished. They had a dozen printers and most of them were in use. I was just about to strip out of my clothing when a young wet-behind-the-ears technician walked in.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
I cursed and pulled my top back down, mostly covering my stomach.
“Hey, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area.”
He’d caught me red-handed, but given how green he looked, I decided to play it cool. “Do you mind? I’m trying to get changed here! Give a girl some privacy! Are you some kind of pervert?” I laced my voice with indignation and accusation.
He was already flustered by the look of the reddening on his cheeks.
“I just got down with a long day and I need a drink so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of this getup and into some normal clothes.”
“Ah, right, um, you were working undercover then?”
I cast him a glare. “If I was, do you think I’d go talking about it with you?”
His blush deepened. “No, no of course not, it's just that I haven’t seen you around before and—”
“That’s by design.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to the 3D printer whispering so he could just barely hear I added the cherry on top. “Idiot.”
After several seconds, he shifted from foot to foot.
I looked over my shoulder. “Why are you still here? Did your feet take root or something? Can you at least turn around if you aren’t going to leave?”
He was tomato red now. He turned around. “I need to service the printers, ma’am.”
“No peeking.” I didn’t trust him but I turned my back to him and stripped my shirt off. The undershirt for the war suit was a simple tank top but at least it covered up my midriff.
I wasn’t sure where the bathrooms were and didn’t feel like checking. Every second spent here just increased the chances that someone else would see me. I sat down behind the printers and finished stripping, then pulled the war suit on. When I stood again the idiot was staring at me. I was glad I’d ducked out of sight.
I marched over to him and slapped him across the face. He flinched at the sudden contact. “Okay, pervert, where can I clean up my hair?” I demanded.
He was too flustered to even question why I wouldn’t know such a basic thing. Something anyone on the force would know.
“D-down the hall, make a right and the bathrooms are on the left. I mean, right.”
I didn’t respond as I marched off. Stupid! I could have just changed in the bathrooms! I shook my head as I pulled up a map of the place. Sometimes I forget I have free access to all of their computers.
I caught the pervert gaping at me as I turned to exit the manufacturing center. His mouth was hanging open and everything. I guess the skintight war suit made an impression.
The bathrooms were right where he said they were. I walked in and got to work. I was in the middle of rinsing the foam out of my hair when a woman entered the bathroom. I cursed loudly as I ran my fingers through my hair. I plastered a fierce scowl onto my face. She, as I’d hoped, took one look at me and then hurried about her business, doing her best to ignore me and my seemingly bad mood. I suppressed a smile and continued washing the foam away. My hair was a sticky mess and it was going to take more than warm water and hand sanitizer to fix that but I got the worst of it washed out.
I pulled it back into a ponytail for convenience and grimaced as I looked at myself in the mirror. It still looked like a mess. It was less eye-catching with the foam gone, but it didn’t look much better if you examined it closely. No matter, it was time to get out of there. I’d lingered long enough.
“Hey Bob, you there?” I asked after opening a channel on my wrist computer. No point in draining my mental energy by using my powers for no reason.
“I’m here Captain. Are you in trouble? How can I assist you?”
“Naw, I’m fine. Just retrieved my gear. Huh, I should have got a stunner too.”
I shrugged. I was sure I could find one lying around. I pushed open the bathroom door and turned to go deeper into the HQ. “Pull up the armory on the map.”
Bob compiled without complaint and I lengthened my stride. I waltzed into the armory and smiled at the person on duty there to check out weapons.
“Hello, I’d like to make a withdrawal,” I sassed. I had no ID so there was no point in pretending.
“Huh, who are you? Wait! You’re that girl on the wanted posters!”
“Surprise!” I raised my arm and pointed it at his head. “Sorry about this.” I then blasted a force ball right into this face.
He was sent sprawling to the floor with absolutely no grace. I winced. That was going to leave a mark. I tried the door but it was locked. There was a divider and the only opening was too small to slip through. Not bad, I thought. The security wasn’t terrible, but it wouldn’t stop me.
The key to the door was on the man's belt. I formed a force shield around the keys and pulled. My intent guided my powers. This was a new way to use my force shield but it did the trick. The man’s belt loot tore and the keys were freed. I pulled them into my waiting palm and then walked over and used them to open the door.
I tossed them next to his body once I was finished with them and then I geared up. I took anything that looked useful. A rifle and ammo, stun grenades, EMP grenades, and a sidearm all went in a duffle bag. I tossed a flashlight in there along with some batteries, then secured a utility belt around my waist. It held one of their tasers with half a dozen extra charges or reloads. I examined it for a moment to familiarize myself with it. There were two main settings with several power levels it could be set to.
The first setting fired the studs out, this was the sub-optimal option but gave the weapon greater range. The second setting fired the studs out but left them connected via wires, which provided a greater charge and stopping capacity. I set the weapon to maximum power, figuring I’d be up against security personnel in body armor if it came to a fight. Unless I got a lucky shot, the weapon would have to put out a lot of energy to get through their protective gear. Okay, the likelihood of it incapacitating one of them was pretty slim in that case, but still, I looked super cool in my getup with it strapped to my hip.
I decided it would look even cooler with a gun on each hip. I dug the sidearm out of the bag and put it on my left. I didn’t plan to use it, but I would if I had to. Akimbo sidearms!
“Oh yeah! I’m rockin’ in now!” I laughed as I drew both weapons a few times. “Okay, enough messing around. I should be going.” They fit snuggly back in the holsters.
I was just on my way out when a door in the back caught my eye. “Impound? Huh, that could be interesting.” I was thinking mainly of all the drug money I heard about in the various TV shows I caught pieces of from time to time. All that money had to go somewhere. I fetched the keys and got the door open.
I let out a whistle as I took in the shelves of confiscated items. These guys had seized a lot of stuff. The ceiling was ten feet high and three thirty-foot long shelves were filled to the ceiling with stuff. Just what I could see from the door made my mouth water.
“I think I’m going to need a bigger bag.” I hurried back out and grabbed a backpack from the armory then moved into the room.
Hard currency wasn’t very popular these days on Radon, but out here it still saw a lot of use. I saw entire packages of paper money but it was the bars of platinum and silver that drew my eye. There were even some gold coins but those looked like their value was more from their age than anything. Antiques. I didn’t have a reliable fence I could pawn them off to, but I swiped them anyway. The backpack was well built so I filled it until it was bulging. I only had a slight worry that the seams would rip. Precious metals were heavy.
I hefted the backpack and secured it on my back. “Okay, now it's time to go.”
I stepped out of the back room and passed through the armory. I’d taken no more than one step out of the armory when the blare of an alarm sounded. Red lights flashed as the tone sounded, a high-pitched sound that was impossible to ignore. I cursed as I bolted for the door. Something must have had a tracking device on it. Failure to check it out properly had triggered an alarm. It was too late to worry about now. The milk, as they say, was spilled.
My pulse quickened as I hurried for the nearest exit. I should have paused to think for a moment but I was flustered and my goal was simply to get out as fast as possible. My ill-chosen route took me directly to the main lobby, which was packed with civilians and overworked staff. I was pushing through the door into the main lobby before I realized my mistake.
I stifled a curse. There was nothing for it now. I came to a stop. It was that or push people out of the way. As I glanced around for a path through the crowd, my eyes landed on Howard Moss, the jerk who’d started this whole mess. He looked over at the man he was talking to and spotted me at almost the same time.
He stopped in his tracks. I froze as well as our eyes met. The man he’d been talking with stopped to see what was wrong and then looked over at me. He was in uniform and the number of metals on his chest could have been repurposed to construct another ring for the station. An aide looked up from his notes behind them. I stifled a curse but my anger began to simmer.
I reached out with my mind to contact my ship. “Bob, I’m blown. Things are going to get messy here.”
I started toward the troublemaker and the big brass he was chatting with. So, he’s got connections. Is that why he thought he could manhandle me? I’d already kneed him in the groin once, but in this case, I think he needed a second dose. The first dose hadn’t fixed his problem yet.
“That’s her! She’s here!” Howard shouted.
The din of conversation ebbed and all eyes turned toward him, he pointed at me. I was scowling by this point and my simmering anger had reached a boil.
“Did you think you could get station security to manhandle me when you failed to do it yourself?” I shouted. “Was one knee to the groin not enough for you? When a girl tells you to let go, you do it, punk!”
People shied away from me as I advanced. The man with the metals went for his weapon so I activated my defensive systems on my suit with a thought. I didn’t want him shooting in this crowd though. Chances were high he’d miss or the bullet would ricochet and hit someone. I rushed forward and lunged. His weapon came up just as I closed to melee range. I wasn’t a skilled fighter but I was fast and strong. I hit his hand as it came up with my palm, knocking the weapon free from his hand and quite possibly breaking his hand in the process.
With a shove, he was sent to the floor, then I turned my attention to Howard. I was just in time to catch a slash of his blade across the face. I cried out in surprise as I staggered back. Then the pain hit. Blood flowed down my cheek and tears threatened to blur my vision.
“Take that you stupid bitch!” Howard gloated.
The smugness in his tone set me off. I jumped toward him and executed a basic snap kick once my feet were firmly planted again. My judgment of the distance was off though and he leaned back just enough to avoid it. Then he stepped forward and plunged the dagger right between my breasts.