Captain Aguilar at the company command post, a short way back from the line of battle, remained in close communication with Elmira as she talked to the Shrike above them.
“We’re getting too spread out, and if they try that sneak attack again, we’re going to get into real trouble,” Aguilar admitted in frustration.
“Falcon is winchester,” Elmira replied, meaning that the fighter would soon be low on ammunition. “A few hundred rounds left on the gun—that’s it.”
“What’s the round trip?” Aguilar asked, wanting to know how long the Shrike would need to reach the Banshee in orbit, dock, resupply weapons, and return down to them.
“Ten to fifteen mikes,” came the curt reply.
Aguilar cursed the absence of the Banshee’s big kinetic railguns over their heads and wondered how many Rangers she might have to lose to protect the organization’s treasured secrecy. On the other hand, if she asked, the worst response she could receive would be a flat ‘no’, so she decided to radio the request to Smyrna anyway.
“Captain,” Smyrna replied through the crackle of atmospheric interference, “we must not unveil ourselves to the attention of Caldera’s satellites. Your charge is to hold those drones in place until Tiger signals their control of the tunnels. I believe this is unfolding as we had foreseen, and you have taken few wounded—request denied.”
“Solid Copy, Banshee,” Aguilar acknowledged bitterly.
“Persevere Ranger—out.”
Aguilar swore as she switched the radio channel. “Raven, tell Falcon to get back upstairs ASAP. We seem to have a lull here—best to make use of it.”
“I confirm I observe minimal activity from my position,” Elmira said, and relayed the request.
The distant whine of jet engines began to fade from the valley. One of the senior medics squatted next to Aguilar, waiting patiently for a radio call she didn’t want to receive.
She cleared her throat. “Wasn’t this the situation you wanted to avoid in the first place?” she asked, sourly. “Rangers sat in limbo, waiting for someone else to get to the point?”
“Yeah, well, what do I know? I’m only in the infantry,” Aguilar said glumly. “So, I guess now we wait.”
Alone in the tunnels and overwhelmed with emotion, Kayla was trying desperately not to freak out. She couldn’t raise anybody on her suit radio, and the Raiders still hadn’t returned from whatever dimension they had been zapped into. She had cautiously approached the central part of the hallway, looking for some type of control panel, but found nothing. Then, conscious of how exposed she was, she backtracked to the previous corridors, looking for another way around.
As she poked at one of the barricades, looking for a weakness, she heard footsteps coming from the main hallway where the Raiders had disappeared. Working quickly, she shoved aside a piece of construction sheet, and managed to squeeze through the gap this created, pulling her rifle in behind her.
She lay there, hidden from view, as a squad of Helvet soldiers emerged, followed by a towering drone, and a thin, severe looking woman.
It had to be Rayker. Kayla felt her blood run hot as she watched the woman who was responsible for the death of her father, and so many of her fellow Calderans. Rayker’s movements were somewhat awkward, like she didn’t care to be graceful. Maybe she really was a Jotnar who had learned to look and act human?
But she wasn’t human. She reminded Kayla of a spider. Like all spiders she should be crushed into a smear of gore, and Kayla knew she wouldn’t feel a thing to watch it happen.
She almost began to aim her rifle, but stopped herself. The operation was on the verge of catastrophe. Killing Rayker and getting herself killed in the process wouldn’t help anyone. She would have to stay in the shadows if she wanted to have a hope of stopping the drone army.
“Nicely executed Reed,” Rayker said. “That should keep them occupied while we deal with the situation in the valley—though I fear we may lose a great deal of our men. Have you ever encountered such skilled soldiers in your military career?”
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The harassed looking Reed turned his gaze away from the dead bodies littering the hallways. “Um, yes, Madam, but only at the very highest levels. There are one or two units I can think of that would match the skill and aggression of this enemy, but those would be very close to the Central Committee. I confess, it does not make sense that they would have been sent here so soon. The bureaucratic wheels of the Defense Coalition do not turn this quickly.”
“Hmm. A curiosity. Perhaps there is a traitor in our midst? We will deal with that later. What is the situation in the valley?”
“We have lost contact with the observation posts, no doubt neutralized by these infiltrators. The drone command team is being pinned down by sniper fire, and demanding we take care of the enemy aircraft.”
“Have Bell and his team take the missiles outside. Prepare the second stage of our defense.”
“Yes, Madam.”
They both returned to the main hallway as soldiers dashed off towards the valley entrance.
In her hiding spot, Kayla put her head in her hands and tried to think. With the soldiers back in control of the base, she was now cut off. Since her suit radio had been unable to access the Raider’s beacons, she had no way of contacting the Rangers fighting in the valley.
There could be dozens of Helvet commandos in the base, and who knew how many more drones. She had only one advantage; they did not know about her.
But her skin crawled as she remembered what they had just said. Missiles? The task force had not prepared for such a weapon. Kayla had no idea whether the Helvets would have the ability to shoot down the Shrike jet, but her instincts were telling her that things were falling apart.
She knew she must not rush forward—that would be disastrous—and if she failed, the Rangers outside would be in grave danger. If she were very lucky, there might be no drones left deeper in the base, and she might at least have a chance to take the soldiers by surprise. After all, she should be much stronger than them, so perhaps she could try to get to Rayker and take her hostage? Of course, she would have to be very careful, move quietly, and only attack if she felt certain she could handle the situation.
Kayla began to explore the blocked off corridors, looking for ways to bypass the main hallway and penetrate further into the base. Stored in one of her pouches was a small notepad and pencil. Working carefully, she began to sketch the maze of passageways around her.
She stayed as quiet as she could, but her nerves buzzed with anxiety. As she moved further into the darkness, she became acutely aware of the noise she was making—every footfall a loud announcement as the silence grew heavier.
The base was immense. Kayla wandered through the endless maze for some time, wondering if she would be lost for hours while Thandi and the Rangers fought for their lives. A sense of dread built up in her mind as she began to wonder what other dark secrets the passages were hiding. More horrific weapons? There didn’t seem to be any Jotnar around, but what if they had been frozen in some kind of stasis? She shuddered at the sinister implications of the place, created by the most dangerous species in the galaxy, and hidden beneath the rock of Caldera, where everyone she knew and loved had unwittingly built their homes.
After a few more turns, she heard footsteps and froze. Listening closely, she realized they weren’t heading towards her, and she started to creep forward, turning her head from side to side to get a good idea of the direction. She kept moving until she entered a well-lit area, where she ducked behind a large outgrowth of crystal to keep herself hidden. Ahead there was a wide-open cavern, and what looked like a laboratory, filled with machinery.
In the center of it all, in front of a group of large glass chambers, Rayker strode back and forth, issuing orders.
Kayla moved in closer and stopped as she saw the source of the footsteps she had been following. A patrolling guard was stood right in the path she needed to take to get closer to the lab. Her stomach lurched as she realized she would have no choice but to take him out.
It was an open part of the cavern, and large, man-sized bilrust crystals grew out from the walls and the floor. They provided a lot of places to hide a body.
Kayla gently set down her carbine. She needed to be quiet, and it would only get in the way. Moving as quickly as she dared, she approached the guard from behind. Her heart beat so hard in her chest it sounded like a loud drum, but to her surprise, the guard didn’t look round.
As she got close, Kayla tensed. The decision to act was harder than she had guessed. Her mind seemed to unravel, lost in all the potential for things to go wrong. She tried to shake those thoughts aside. Right now, there was no choice.
Shutting out the rising panic, she leaped forward and executed a fast rear-naked choke one of the Raiders had shown her. She jammed her arm under his neck and secured it, then squeezed it back as hard as she could. The man struggled bodily, unable to make a sound through his crushed windpipe. He was stronger than she had thought, but she managed to control him, and quickly dragged him back behind the cover of the crystals. She held the choke until the man’s skin turned blue and he went limp. Then she gently lowered him to the floor, reached for her rifle and bashed him hard in the head, just in case.
For an awful moment, she wondered if she had just killed him. The reality of that act, so close she had felt his sweat on her face, took her aback. But the guard’s blue skin began to warm slowly, and she knew she would probably have a few minutes of unconsciousness to act.
Now the way ahead was clear, and Kayla’s confidence was building, so she moved forward. Inside the lab, the soldiers were doing something to the equipment near the glass chambers. They were completely engrossed in their work, and she knew she could overpower them—even shoot them if necessary. She would complete the mission, she thought with excitement, and deal with—
Kayla’s thoughts ground to a stop. She had lost track of Rayker. Glancing around quickly, she saw nothing. It was too late to do anything about it now, so she approached closer, and stepped behind the soldiers, carbine raised.