A Taste Of Despair (The Humal Sequence) (33 page)

Klane added. “Keep your heads down. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes. We’ll be out of comms range for a while, most likely, so don’t panic if you don’t hear from us for a bit.”

“What should we do if we’re discovered?” Carl asked. He was the next closest thing the others had to any kind of leader. LeGault was happy to follow orders and neither Jones or Johnson was really the take charge type, so it fell to the Enjun to take the lead.

“Use your best judgment.” Hamilton told him. “Just remember we want to get in un-noticed, if possible.”

“Just don’t let yourselves get captured,” Klane added. “At any cost.”

“Any cost?” The Enjun sounded dubious.

“Any cost.” Hamilton agreed, though somewhat reluctantly. They couldn’t afford to let any of them fall into the hands of the authorities. The Imperials would interrogate them and throw them in prison as terrorists, which would draw the attention of Walsh and his alien friends. No doubt they would be very curious to find out what the group was doing on Mars.

“Do you understand what we’re saying to you?” Klane added, but there was no reply. Carl and the others had already moved out of range of the suit comms. The telemetry had also failed.

“Great.” Hamilton muttered. “Let’s hope they don’t freak out.”

“You think they understood what we meant?” Klane asked.

“Probably. But it’s different for you and I. We have a sort of military background. They don’t. They may understand what we mean, but whether they can carry that out, if it comes to it, is another matter.”

“Well,” She sighed. “They’re on their own now, at least for the next twenty minutes. Not even Jones can get himself into trouble in that amount of time.”

“I think you underestimate him.” Hamilton muttered.

*****

Ten minutes later the next maglev train pulled in at the depot and they were loaded aboard. For ten minutes the train continued to load other cargo from other landing areas, before it set off again, rapidly accelerating to its chosen speed of sixty kilometers per hour.

“We won’t get back in contact with them for at least fifteen minutes.” Klane pointed out. “The range on these suit comms is minimal.”

“Yeah, that’s how they were designed. Low power to avoid detection. They’re only meant for boarding actions, really. Not what we’re using them for.” Hamilton agreed.

She sighed. “I know. Use what you have available. I did most of the same training as you, remember? Even so, not knowing what’s going on is annoying.”

“The fog of war.” He quoted.

She was silent for a long time, then. “I’m glad we worked together again. No matter how all this turns out. It was good to see you again.”

There was an awkwardness in her tone that was uncharacteristic of the woman who was always so self-assured. He knew the source of that awkwardness.

“We…err…we parted under less than ideal circumstances before.” He managed to get out.

She snorted softly. “You could put it that way!” There was a pause. “I was a bit of a jerk about that whole business. You only did what you had to and I made you feel like shit over it.”

Hamilton sighed. “Well, I suppose you had good cause. I could have…I could have put a little more thought into what I did…then you’d still have…”

“Forget it.” She told him. “You saved my life. That’s the main thing. You’re not at fault. I was for the way I reacted. I know it’s a bit late now, but, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for being such a bitch to you. And whilst I’m at it, thanks for saving my life. I imagine you wondered why you bothered at all, considering the gratitude I gave you for it!”

Hamilton snorted. “I…err…”

“Yeah,” She chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

He laughed. “Thanks.”

“For what? Making you feel awkward again years after the fact?” She said.

“No. For letting me off the hook after all these years.” He replied.

“Well, it was a hook you shouldn’t have been on in the first place.” She stated.

“You know,” He chuckled. “I feel the need to give you a big hug right about now.”

“Don’t push your luck!” She warned. He could hear the warmth in her tone, however.

They were silent for a while before he felt like saying anything more. “So….you and Carl?”

“What about it?” She said.

“Just not quite what I’d expect, that’s all. No judgment from me. Just a bit of a surprise.”

She sighed. “Even I get lonely from time to time. Or horny. I’m not sure which it is! He and I aren’t exactly standard issue humans, you know. Our choices in such things tend to be a bit limited.”

“I guess not.” Hamilton allowed. Klane had always been awkward and angular, even before the cybernetics had been added. Carl was an Enjun, almost as wide as he was tall. As far as desirability went, most people wouldn’t give them a second glance, except maybe out of fear.

“Anyway,” She continued. “You can talk! What’s with you and Blondie?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. There was a spark, back on the Hope’s Breath. Lately it flared up. I’m not sure where it’s going yet. Do me a favor, though?”

“That depends.” She said, warily.

“When she says something that reminds you she’s from a couple of hundred years ago, don’t stare at her or look at her like she’s got three heads. It upsets her.”

“So I noticed.” Klane replied. “A bit touchy, isn’t she?”

“It’s not that. It’s more subtle. It’s like…it’s like when you were a kid, did you ever know that person that thought he was friends with everybody, but nobody was actually friends with him? He’d hang around with people, and they’d let him tag along, but no one really cared whether he was there or not. Do you know what I mean?”

There was a pause. “Yep. That was me, pretty much. No one wanted the ugly girl around, but they were too polite, or cowardly, to tell me to get lost. Of course, that didn’t stop them from talking behind my back, making fun of me. It’s the main reason why I took to a military life. There’s less bullshit and you can shoot people that piss you off!”

Hamilton was taken aback by the admission. He’d always imagined Klane to be the school-bully type. That she might have been the victim hadn’t occurred to him.

“Well then,” He replied. “You know how she feels. Like an outsider the rest just tolerate, but don’t actually want around. It hurts her.”

“Fair enough. I’ll try and watch how I react. I suppose it must be pretty hard adapting to our world as it is, without everyone looking at you like a freak. I can relate to that, at least.”

“Thanks.” Hamilton said. “I owe you one.”

“I think you and I lost count of who owed what to whom a long time ago.” She laughed.

“True…I..” His voice petered out as a burst of static and garbled vocalization erupted across the main channel.

“..milton! Klane! We …. a situation at … freight termi….”

“Oh crap!” Klane muttered. “Looks like you were right!”

“About what?” Hamilton frowned.

“About Jones not being able to get in trouble in just twenty minutes!”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

By the time Hamilton and Klane’s maglev rolled into the terminal the excitement was all over.

Whilst the pallets of the others were being unloaded, one of the human handlers had turned a corner at the bottom of a ramp a little too early and the pallet had tilted over, spilling its wrapped cargo onto the deck. Part of that cargo was LeGault.

Facing imminent discovery, he had barked a command at everyone else and they had all come out shooting.

When Hamilton and Klane emerged from their pallets, there were twitching bodies everywhere.

“That’s just fucking great!” Klane scowled, her face darker than Hamilton had seen it for a long, long time.

“We had no choice!” Carl growled defensively. “They would have found LeGault and raised the alarm! We acted, rather than reacted!”

The last time Hamilton had seen her as angry as she was, he had been on the receiving end. He sympathized with the Enjun.

“Easy!” He barked. “It’s done! Did anyone get away? Did anyone press any alarm buttons?”

Carl shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Did anyone get away!” Klane said through gritted teeth. “Looks like you stunned half the population of the bloody city!”

“Maybe you’d prefer it if there were sirens blaring and police running around?” Jones muttered.

It wasn’t a good move for the thief. Carl was able to weather Klane’s angry glower, but the smaller man actually shrank back as she glared at him, opening her mouth to shout at him.

“Enough! All of you!” Hamilton cried.

To his surprise, they all shut up. But all eyes turned to him.

On the way in, he and Klane had gotten the story out of them. So they both knew what had happened. They also knew that Jones had disabled the terminal’s security suite, so there would be no recognition of who they were by the terminal cameras. All that might be known was that four suited figures had burst out of the cargo and started shooting. Further discussion over what should, or should not, have been done was pointless

He glanced back at the automated unloading area. The machines continued to unload the freight from the train he and Klane had occupied as if nothing had happened. But without human assistance to clear that area, it was doubtful that the unloading zone would take much more than the current maglev’s load. Which meant things would grind to a halt when the next maglev arrived, in about fifteen minutes, with no space to unload it. That would set off alarms somewhere.

Fifteen minutes. He thought. Not much time.

“What about the non-labor staff? Clerks and the like?” He frowned.

“We got all them, too. Was only a few on duty, I guess because it was so late.” Carl answered.

There were no audible sirens that Hamilton could hear. That meant little, of course. Someone could have tripped a silent alarm before being stunned.

“Alright, get these bodies out of sight! Jones, with me!”

He didn’t wait for questions or queries. He started towards the front of the terminal, where it gave on to the city’s streets.

At the main entrance he peered out across a modest sized parking area. At this hour, the terminal was closed to the public, but there were a number of ground cars nearby, presumably belonging to the staff.

“Right!” He said, turning to Jones. “Get out of your suit and find us a working vehicle from amongst that lot. Drive it up in front of the building and wait there. We’ll be out presently.”

He turned and began walking rapidly back into the terminal.

“Wait, what...” Jones began.

“Just get it done!” He barked.

As he re-entered the terminal, Klane approached him. “We’ve put the staff in one of the back office rooms, but once the alarm goes off it won’t take long for the responders to find them.”

“We’ll be long gone by then. Okay. Gather the troops and meet me out front. Suits off and bundled.”

“Roger!” She turned away and began calling everyone to her.

As he returned to the main entrance, Hamilton was grateful that Klane was along. She was the one person he could rely on to do what he asked without making a drama out of it.

At the entrance he caught the sound of an engine starting up, then located the vehicle as it started to move.

Jones had chosen an old van. It was a faded blue color and had once had some sort of commercial use judging by the faded writing on the sides. Now it was just old and had probably belonged to one of the cargo handlers. It was unremarkable looking and big enough to hold all of them. Jones had chosen well.

As Jones drove up to the main entrance, Hamilton removed his suit and then put in the earpiece and gumline transmitter they had. “Klane?”

“Here! We’re on our way.” She replied, emerging moments later from the loading area with the others in tow.

As Jones pulled up, Hamilton glanced around the parking area but there was no one about. The freight terminal was hardly likely to be a hangout for locals. Beyond the parking area and across the street, the buildings looked old and dilapidated. There was a certain grandness to the design that hinted that, once upon a time, the buildings might have been important. Perhaps offices for the freight companies that had helped build the colony in the beginning. Now they looked like dumps, probably re-purposed into slum-like dwellings for the poorer elements of society.

Hamilton went down to meet the van as it pulled up and opened the back doors.

“Everybody in!” He told them quietly. They were still sorting out equipment and comms gear as they climbed in, fiddling nervously with things. “Come on! We don’t have all day!”

“Move it!” Klane barked, adding the weight of her voice to his. She was, he reflected, much better at the menacing tones associated with command than he was. She grinned at him as she followed the other into the back of the van.

“Just like old times!” She muttered.

Hamilton snorted and closed the van doors, then ran around to the passenger side and climbed in next to Jones.

“Where to?” Jones asked, indicating a pop-up mapping pane on the dashboard. The vehicle might be old, but its commercial past had meant its owner had to know where he was going. However, there was no way to tell how old the maps were. Hamilton had spent some time studying the maps they had of the city, so he was fairly well-versed in the layout of Olympus.

Hamilton fussed with the map image, moving it back and forth as he got his bearings. Finally, he located what he was looking for.

“Here.” He ordered. “This is where we need to go, initially.”

Jones looked a little puzzled but, by now, he had worked out it was in his best interests to do as he was told and ask questions during, or later, not before. He revved the engine and the van drove out into the city.

*****

The freight terminal was located on the eastern side of the city roughly halfway between the central dome of the original colony site and the edge of the urban sprawl that Olympus had become.

The place Hamilton had ordered Jones to drive to was near the outer edge on the northern side. Despite the map pane’s insistence on having them go right past the dome, Jones’ former life made him well prepared to avoid unnecessary exposure to security measures. So the route they followed ignored almost entirely the map pane’s plaintive bleating and was a twisted, convoluted path through narrow streets and alleys.

Further from the core of the city, the buildings became a bizarre mixture of the horribly run-down and the blatantly new. The older buildings were from when the colony first left the dome, once the atmosphere was breathable outside their little safe haven. As the colonist numbers increased, more buildings went up, filling in the gaps between the early pioneers.

Hamilton wondered what those first colonists must have thought. They’d left the dome and set up little satellite communities around it, pleased at the space and the ability to go outside when they wanted without protective equipment. But the same terraforming that had led to such freedoms also meant an end to their pioneer lifestyle. The opening up of Mars as a colony really began once the atmosphere was survivable. Those early pioneers would have seen a massive influx of colonists, each of them granted their own parcel of land. The gaps between the early communities vanished as everyone threw up a house or business. Where there had once been a central dome and satellites there was now just one large entity.

Where man went, inevitably, crime followed, even in a society as heavily controlled as the Empire’s. As they drove along, they saw evidence of it around them. Smashed windows, vandalism of vehicles and property, graffiti everywhere. Shady looking characters lurking in doorways, on street corners, in the mouths of alleyways.

“So much for the shining heart of the Empire.” Jones observed, somewhat disappointedly.

Hamilton shrugged. “There’s crime wherever you go. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it isn’t. I’d have thought you would feel more at home in this kind of environment?”

“This ain’t my turf.” Jones replied. “I go wandering around out here, I’ll get turned over same as anybody else.”

“We won’t have to.” Hamilton reassured him, checking the map pane. They were nearly to their destination.

A few minutes later Jones turned the van into what was plainly a small industrial estate. Various warehouse-like buildings occupied the area with a single access road running down the center. There were a number of vehicles parked along it, no doubt belonging to various night-shift workers at the businesses around them. Hamilton spotted a likely candidate.

“Pull over behind that car.” Hamilton told Jones, who nodded and did as he was asked.

As the van came to a stop, Hamilton twisted in his seat so that he could address those in the back as well as Jones. “Everyone out! Jones, hotwire that car in front of us.”

As they climbed out and stood beside the van, Hamilton rummaged in his gear bag, bringing out the alien pistol he’d showed the others back on
Morebaeus
.

“Go help Jones.” He advised the others. There was a comforting level of background machinery noise emanating from the surrounding premises. Hopefully enough to cover the noise he was going to make.

The others needed little additional encouragement to move away from the pistol. They had seen evidence of its power before.

Hamilton went to the front of the van and flicked the beam setting to narrow. Touching the firing stud briefly, he played the beam across the front grill of the vehicle.

The bonnet flew up as its catch disintegrated, but the beam sliced through the front of the vehicle and its engine bay as if wasn’t even there. There was a horrid, molten metal smell and the engine block caught fire. Hamilton paid the flames no great attention, instead peering inside the bay for the locator box he knew would be fixed there somewhere within.

It was nestled at the back of the engine bay next to the filler bottle for the windscreen washer. Hamilton adjusted the beam to a slightly larger diameter and blasted the box with the shortest touch he could manage on the weapon’s firing stud.

The box blew apart spectacularly, but the beam, as before continued on into the vehicle. Now there were flames visible in the interior as well as the engine bay.

Behind him, the car’s engine rumbled into life. Turning, he saw that Klane already had everyone crammed aboard, leaving the front passenger seat for him. Putting the pistol back in his gear bag, he quickly jumped in. Jones didn’t need to be told to drive away quickly this time.