Echo Station - Private Hanger

Aden watched in horror as men started to pour into the hanger. He thought it was port authority at first but they looked different. Instead of the grey uniforms of port authority these guys wore heavy black armor. They moved in formations and Aden could hear their metal armor rubbing together with heavy thunking sounds. Their guns were large and heavy. Some of them lined up in formation as if they were going to take aim in front of the ship. Behind them he saw a man walking at a slow pace. He was dressed similar to his comrades except for the yellow epaulets on his shoulders. Two of the men barked an all clear and dragged over the body of Jon Azor.

Aden wanted to look away but he couldn’t. They dragged him by his shoulders, Jon Azor’s tall legs dragged behind him. His black and grey hair covered his face. The entire right side of his body was singed with third degree burns.

And yet worse than all that was the realization that Jon wasn’t dead. From Aden’s spot he could see the man’s chest rise and fall ever so slightly. He was breathing, in strained wheezing that echoed along the hanger. It brought back memories that Aden wished to push down.

“What the hell are they doing to him?” whispered Cassandra.

Aden almost jumped from his position hearing those words. He had forgotten where he was for a moment and tried to search the hanger for the rest of his party. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately given what was happening, Aden could not find Julian or Meren. He assumed that they must’ve hid on the other side of the hanger.

This was bad. There was only two ways out of this hanger and they couldn’t move from position without risking getting seen by the guards.

But what the hell do they want? Aden thought.

Almost as if in answer to his question the leader of the guards pulled Jon Avor’s face to the side to inspect him and then called out to the hanger. His voice was shrill, higher than expected of a man of his stature, and echoed around everyones heads.

“My men have you surrounded. Come out now or be prepared to watch me kill your boss here. There will be no further negotiation.” Said the man.

Fuck.

When they had left Jon Avor’s suite Aden had figured they might have to get into a fight or sneak past people. He had never expected to be in a hostage situation.

“Can’t you do something?” asked Cassandra.

“What can I do? I’m a fighter pilot not a foot soldier.” Said Aden.

It was not entirely true. Yes he had never seen ground combat on account of his piloting skills but he had received combat training like every other soldier. Still, what could one person do against a platoon of troops?

“What about this thing?” said Cassandra gripping the forearm on his prosthetic.

It was an interesting question. What about it? It did have defense capabilities but would it be enough? He didn’t even know what it could do! Jon Avor had said it only activated by thought. Did that mean he would just think about his weapon?

Aden tried closing his eyes and focusing all his thoughts on his arm.

I want to protect Jon Avor. Aden thought Do something that’ll help me.

Yet it was another voice that shocked him out of it.

“Don’t shoot! I will do as you ask! Please leave him alone” said Meren.

Meren walked into the middle of the hanger arms outstretched. Two of the troops grabbed him and pinned him to the ground where he stood. Again the commanding officer walked over to Meren and pushed his head with his foot.

“Khrynau? Yes my report told me you might be with Avor.” said the man.

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“Who are you? KhazorCorps? I warn you right now you risk triggering a diplomatic incident with the Galactic Union should you injure that man any further” said Meren.

“Speak when spoken to!” said the man kicking his heel onto Meren’s head. “I’m not like my employers, I don’t have a problem with xenos but I also don’t have the time to debate with you so let me cut to the chase.”

“Where are the others?”

“Which others?”

“Don’t play coy with me! The men with KhazorCorps technology. Those men. We got word of two men matching their description on a ship coming into port and then suddenly a bomb goes off and they’re nowhere to be found? Do you think I’m stupid? Where are they?”

“Who are you?”

That question earned another kick to Meren’s head.

“Black Rose Company. Finest human mercenary group in the galaxy and under contract by your former employers. And if you don’t tell me where they are right now I’m going to break this mans knees. We’re on a schedule here and I’m not going to lose a contract because of your stubbornness.”

“We sent them away, to Union Station.”

“Bullshit. We got word you were coming up here. Why?”

“A diversion. We knew you were following us and me and Jon were going to travel to Earth to keep you away. We just weren’t fast enough”

“Well then aren’t I in luck? Open the ship then. If you’re telling the truth this bird should have us at Union Station well before they get there.”

Aden’s heart was beating like an engine in his chest. Meren was looking to buy them time to escape but he couldn’t just sit here and watch. He’d have to give himself up. If he gave himself up at least Julian and Cassandra could make it out. He turned to tell Cassandra this but a message on her terminal distracted him. When Cassandra opened the terminal Aden could see the message over her shoulder.

When I speak up make a run for the ship. Grab Azor and go.

Don’t look back.

Not a minute later Aden heard Julian’s voice call out.

“Over here asshole” screamed Julian from somewhere behind Meren. The troops turned to see where the commotion was coming from and lifted their guns as if they were about to shoot.

But they weren’t fast enough. By the time they had turned toward Julian there was two silver contraptions running through the air. Aden saw the troops turn to look at it before it exploded into an arc of blue-white electricity. It blinded them all and at the same he could hear the hiss of pressurization from the hanger bay to the Nighhawk opening.

That was the signal. Before he was fully conscious of what he was doing he grabbed Cassandras wrist and screamed

“GO”

They ran together, Aden pulling on her, till they reached the ship where he pushed her towards the door. He began to sprint towards the two troops holding Jon Avor’s shoulders. One of them dropped Jon and picked up his gun. Aden aimed for him first.

There was a lesson they taught in ground combat. Sorta of a universal rule. If you’re not the biggest or strongest then all you can hope to do is throw them off balance. On the ground, human or xeno, all fights were even. Remembering this rule Aden ran towards the mercenary with the gun out and, when he was just a couple of feet away, he jumped and oriented his feet towards the man’s back. The sole of his boots clanked against the armor of the guard and gravity did the rest.

On the ground Aden put all his weight onto his right arm forearm and pushed against the man’s throat. With his left hand he started to punch the man in the nose and teeth. The man’s gloved hands tried to reach around Aden’s throat. Aden was lucky that his arm was made of metal and that the mercenary wasn’t wearing a helmet. Soon blood started to pour and the mercenary’s grip loosened.

Aden heard a thud behind him and looked to see Jon Avor on the ground. The mercenary holding him had dropped Jon to pick up his weapon. Aden was looking down the barrel of the gun when a blur ran into the mercenary’s knees and knocked him to the ground. There was a flash of grey light that discharged from the gun and hit the ceiling.

It was Julian! The old man grappled with the mercenary. He screamed but the chaos made it sound like it was coming far away.

“Grab the man and go! I’m right behind you!”

Aden leapt from his position and grabbed Job Avor. Aden looked at the open hanger door and in his mind he could feel the despair building up. It was so far away! He didn't look back, Aden just dragged the body towards the door as the body as best he could, his heart now pounding in his ears and drowning out all other sounds.

Aden jumped when a hand gripped his shoulder. He was about to turn and punch it when he saw it was Meren. His black alien blood had painted his face the same color as his eyes.

“I’ve got him. Save your friend.”

Aden finally looked up to see the rest of the hanger. Most of the soldiers had been electrocuted, courtesy of their metal armor, with only a few mercenaries and the commander still standing. Unfortunately they had now all ganged on Julian.

It was a desperate struggle. They tried to pull their guns on him but at close range he knocked them away and took the battle to the ground. Two of the men grabbed him by the hair where the commander struck him in the face.

Aden tried to sprint. He pumped his legs as fast they could go. He wanted to scream, to take their attention away, but his voice was caught in his throat. He was only ten or twenty feet away when he saw the commander pull out a side arm and shoot Julian in the stomach.

Aden couldn’t tell what happened then. He felt as if he was watching everything in slow motion. He ran towards them, getting closer and closer, until they took notice of him. And they took notice of something else.

His arm.

It started to glow, and maybe it was training or instinct or even alien telepathic technology but Aden knew what to do.

He pointed his arm at the troops and fired.