Star Runners 2: Revelation Protocol (20 page)

She smiled like a little girl. “Yes. It sounds fun.”

Austin nodded and stood. “Once they let you start walking around, could you check in on Kadyn for me?”

“Sure, honey.”

“I’m worried about her,” Austin said, his gut twitching. “I can’t believe this happened.”

Her face grew rigid. “None of this was your fault, sweetie. None of it. You saved us. I’ve been sitting here replaying the past day in my head. The image of you standing in the flames … fighting off those men, protecting us. Kadyn knows, honey. Give her time.”

He nodded. “I will, Mom. See you soon.”

*****

The bright lights of the tube transport room glowed like a star. Austin blew a bubble with his chewing gum as the tube’s hatch moved into place.

“Welcome to Atlantis, Lieutenant,” the crewman said.

“Thank you.”

He reached up for a hand.

“Get yourself up,” the crewman grumbled and walked away.

“Thanks a lot,” Austin said, climbing out of the tube. “What’s that all about?”

“Just drop it.” The crewman glared back at him, his face rigid and covered in stubble.

The regulations on Atlantis must be lighter than the rest of the navy. Austin had never seen a man on Tarton’s Junction with such a beard.

Shaking his head, Austin hurried across the room. The door dilated in front of him. The bustling control room pulsated with activity. The dome stretched high above his head. A glowing green hologram of Earth floated above, dozens of red circles covering alert areas across the planet. Beyond, a pair of deep-sea creatures glowed, swimming in three pairs. They shot in different directions as a spacecraft rumbled past. Bubbles danced around like living creatures. He stood with his mouth hanging open, watching the glowing blue fish. Hundreds of staff worked at stations throughout the dome, some staring at standard computer monitors while others worked on holograms.

Austin made his way down the steps. The staff hurried to different stations, the conversations frantic and rushed, a feeling of tension hanging over the room.

“I want those six Tridents moved away from the civilian hangar immediately!” an officer yelled, sending staff scurrying like scared birds.

Austin blinked. Commander Carv Wallace, the man who knew Lieutenant Ryan Bean.

“Commander Wallace?” he asked, walking toward the muscular man. “Commander?”

“What?” he barked, his eyes glaring. His expression softened slightly. “I don’t have a lot of time, Lieutenant. Sorry. What’s on your mind?”

Wallace grabbed a tablet from the table and started walking. Austin shook his head and followed.

“You might not remember me, sir. We met the other day when I arrived with Lieutenant Bean.”

“Bean?” he asked, his attention focused on the tablet. “Bean was a good man. Great Star Runner. The Legion will miss him.”

“Yes.” His legs still tingled like they had fallen asleep; Austin hurried to keep up with Wallace. “I am supposed to report to Captain Nubern. Has he been through here?”

“Look, it’s Stone, right?” Wallace sighed, gesturing to the tablet. “I’ve got all manner of problems coming through here today. Half the planet’s trying to leave and squadrons from all over Quadrant Eight are trying to arrive over the next two days. Just managing the traffic with people trying to leave and fighters coming in has been crazy. I just had six Tridents diverted to the civie hangar because the control tower fouled up the incoming traffic. Now you want me to page a captain for you?”

Austin stared at his feet. “I’ll head to the military hangar. I’ve never been here for anything other than shuttle traffic to Tarton’s Junction. I’m sorry I bothered you, commander.”

Wallace shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. “Look, Lieutenant. Things here have been, well, have been crazy.” He pointed to the far side of the dome. “You head that way and follow the glowing red rectangles on the wall. That’ll lead you to the military hangar where almost every Star Runner currently on Atlantis is staging to begin shrouded patrols. You should find your captain there.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Austin nearly ran away from Wallace. The man exuded an annoyance with the entire world. His nostrils flared when he stared back at the tablet. The fluid workings of Atlantis had broken away to be replaced by chaos and frenzy. It was like watching a tornado of humanity with Wallace at the center. Austin weaved his way through the crowd.

As instructed, he followed the glowing red rectangles to the military hangar, passed through a massive doorway and paused. Rather than seeing freighters and shuttles looming in the hangar he had seen before, Trident fighters lined the military hangar from wall-to-wall. Star Runners in different colored squadron uniforms mingled with the mechanics. The crew’s faces smeared with grease and sweat. The pilots studied tablets and conversed in excited tones. Sparks flew from a welding torch.

“Watch it there,” a gruff voice called.

“Ah, sure,” Austin said, moving past a pair of fighters he didn’t recognize. They looked related to the Tridents, but had canisters under the wings and two vertical stabilizers instead of one. The bulky nose of the fighter looked like a bulldog with two cannons under the cockpit, much larger than the standard laser cannons onboard the fighters he had seen. Like the Trident, the wings curved above the fuselage in landing position.

His feet scuffed the ground as he moved through the madness. He felt overwhelmed. He had never been in a room of this size with this amount of weaponry. It must be what it was like on one of the Legion carriers, but he had never until now realized what it would truly be like to be standing in the center of a galactic power.

“Can I help you, Lieutenant?”

Austin turned to see a tall, muscular woman wearing familiar Tizona blue. She had her blonde hair tied back in a bun tight enough to pull the skin back on her forehead.

“I have orders to report to Captain Nubern.”

“Nubern?” She glanced up like she was thinking. “From Tarton’s Junction, right?”

“That’s right.”

She nodded. “Nubern left with a couple other pilots to help transfer the Tridents from the freighter hangar. Got some geniuses up there running the control tower, but that’s nothing new. Am I right?”

“Yes.” He smiled, not really knowing why. “Did he leave recently?”

“Five minutes tops. If you hurry, you can catch him.”

He gestured back the way he came. “That way?”

“You got it.”

Austin hurried back to the dome. He stared at the Earth hologram above as he walked, careful not to crash into the workstations. Green and blue blips soared to and from the planet, signifying the busy traffic coming and going. The hologram flickered.

Austin paused a moment before he heard it; a shockwave rumbling beneath his feet like an earthquake. The drone of busy workers stopped as everyone looked up from their station. Another rumble shook the ground, somewhere from behind him.

He turned around. Massive bubbles rushed up into the water above the dome. A light illuminated the disturbed water in an orange light. The lighting in the command center dropped to a dull red.

“ATTENTION! ATTENTION!” a female voice boomed over the intercom. “HULL BREECH DETECTED IN HANGAR THREE. ALL COMPRESSION DOORS CLOSING. REPEAT: ALL COMPRESSION DOORS CLOSING.”

In one movement, the crew turned toward the military hangar. Austin looked down at the doors he had just passed through. Water rushed through like it burst through a dam. The rush of ocean water howled like a growling animal. The water swept Austin off his feet. He crashed to the floor, the force throwing him across the room toward the wall. He collided into a desk and ended up in the corner, the frigid water surrounding him. For a moment, he wondered if the entire dome had collapsed. The water rushed around him like an icy bathtub. The frigid water numbed his skin, taking his breath away.

He shook his head and tried to stand.

A compression door on the far side of the dome clamped shut, closing off the water from entering the room. The crew stood from their stations. Binders and books floated in the standing water around the workstations. Austin gasped for air, struggling to take in what he saw.

“Everyone to their stations,” Wallace said calmly over the intercom. “Red alert. I need a SITREP.”

“Commander. OPS,” another voice, less calm, said over the intercom. “Hangar three has been destroyed.”

“What?” Wallace barked, his voice rising. “How?”

“Unknown. All connection with the hangar has been lost. I am attempting to get confirmation from outside Atlantis.”

“Do it!” Wallace yelled, his composure fading. “An entire hangar can’t disappear.”

Austin stood in the frigid water rushing around his thighs. Papers, tablets and other debris swirled around on the surface of the ocean water. He tasted the salt on his lips and wiped at his face. He reached over and helped a female officer to her feet. A bright red gash on her forehead bled down her face. He steadied her with his right hand, trying not to fall into the swirl of water.

“The inbound freighter,
Brazen Bryce,
just confirmed an explosion over hangar three.”

“Tell all incoming planetary traffic they have to reroute to Base Beta,” Carver said. “Defense, I want the point weapons manned and ready. Get—“

An explosion ripped through the command center. Fire whipped into the air. A row of computers disintegrated. Staff burned and writhed, falling into the water. Two men flanked the door to the tube transport room, laser rifles pointing into the room. Austin recognized the scruffy man on the right from his arrival, the man who did not fit in.

“There!” Austin yelled.

Too late.

The men fired into the crowd, laser bolts burning through officers and control stations. Sparks filled the air. Austin pushed the bleeding officer behind a control station for cover, his heart pounding.

He pulled his sidearm. When the laser fire paused, he peaked over the control station. Bolts sizzled over his head. He ducked back.

“INTRUDERS HAVE ENTERED THE BASE ON DECKS ONE, THREE, AND FIVE,” the female voice announced. “WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. I REPEAT; ATLANTIS IS UNDER ATTACK. ALL PERSONN—“

Static screeched over the speakers. Austin looked at the officer near him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She pressed her hand against her forehead, blood seeping through her fingers. “We can’t let them get control of this room.”

Austin risked a glance. “There’s two of them at the door.”

“Do you see Wallace?”

“I can’t see anyone.”

She nodded. “You can’t let them take this room. If they do, they have Atlantis.”

Austin swallowed. “Right.”

“Hey,” she said, grabbing his shoulder, “thank you.”

Austin knelt into the cold water and peeked around the corner. The attackers fired into another area on the far side of the dome. Now was his chance.

Austin dove into the water and moved for the next row of control stations. Laser fire continued around the dome. Men and women screamed. Austin glanced over the stations again, saw an attacker firing to his left. Austin raised his pistol. He emptied his charge. Bolts ignited the attacker’s uniform. The man spun around and disappeared into the water.

The other attacker, now alone, backed up toward the tube transport room. He fired and disappeared out of sight.

“I think we’re clear!” Austin yelled. He stood cautiously. “Commander?”

“Wallace is out,” a voice said. A woman stood from behind a control station in the center of the dome. “I’m in charge for now.”

“Who are you?” Austin asked.

“Security Officer Brannen.”

Austin kicked through the water, moving slowly like he was back in the swamp around the Tizona School of Excellence.

“Officer Brannen,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Wait a minute.” She gestured to two soldiers on the far side of the dome. “You two, silence our guest in the transport room. Be careful.”

Brannen turned to face Austin, her skin covered in cuts and bruises. “You were saying, Lieutenant?”

“What’s going on?”

“We have reports of attackers on several decks. Hangar three’s gone. Our alert fighters have engaged an enemy vessel on the outer perimeter, but we’re only getting fragments. Someone has fired a system-wide disruptor.”

Austin shook his head. “I thought we had the only disruptor in the solar system.”

“So did we, but another’s been fired. Electronics across the planet have been going haywire for the past few minutes. Right now, we’re blind.”

Laser fire erupted from the transport room. A minute later, two soldiers came through the door and gave a thumbs up.

“We got him, Brannen! Found the normal transport staff stuffed into four out-of-service tubes. No telling where these intruders tubed in from.”

“Well done!” Brannen yelled.

“What about Wallace?” Austin asked.

“He’s over here,” she said, moving behind the control station. “He got swept up in the water and hit his head. Concussion, I believe.”