Unchained (36 page)

Berman turned on them in fury and yelled,
“You have a better idea? Let’s hear it.”

At the entrance of the next access shaft,
Rourke stopped and relieved a micropad from one of Berman’s team.
He studied the floor plan, level by level. He gazed up and down the
hall and finally straight up at the ceiling.

Rourke turned and stood toe to toe with
Berman. “Do you have a laser cannon with you?”

Berman’s eyebrows furrowed. “Of course, we
do. Why?”

“
How long are your
rappelling cables?”

Stunned, Berman answered, “Long enough to
scale the outside of this tower if there was any way to get back
into it.”

Rourke nodded and said, “Bring the cannon
here. I want the longest, heaviest cable you’ve got and your best
marksmen.”

Blood. It was the first word that came to
Cidra’s mind. Crimson red flooded Tausek’s chambers and its sparse
contents. Cidra scanned the big room quickly. There was one other
door besides the one they had entered through. The most spectacular
and savage red sunset she’d ever seen burst through a long,
unbroken window.

They halted behind the silhouette of a man,
his back to them as if commanding the sun, feeding off its power.
The sight robbed her of coherent thought. Instincts, swift and
powerful, subverted her control.

When he turned slowly to face them, her
breath froze in her lungs at the black, menacing figure before her.
His face was pure white, sinister and angular. His eyes were even
more disturbing, black, dark and inhuman. Bathed in red, he looked
like a demonic sentinel standing at the very gates of a fiery
abyss. Cidra fought the urge to turn and run.

Tausek nodded once to Fiske, who saluted and
left quickly.

A terrifying silence followed. Fine clicking
drew her eyes down to the two furred creatures at Tausek’s feet.
Corvits. Plass hadn’t mention corvits. She had heard of
them—beastly creatures capable of ripping a man to pieces in
minutes. Somewhere in the insanity of the moment, she wondered if
two of them could do it twice as fast.

Fear clawed at her throat, threatening to
suffocate her. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to let it
undermine her task. From within her rage grew, slowly at first, fed
by the anger at her own fear. Thoughts shifted from herself to her
family, Syrus, and her father. Then the voices arose—pleas and
cries for justice and vengeance. The silent faith of a million
souls killed by Tausek drove her on. The strength grew and built,
crowding out the fear and anger, replacing them with determination,
honor and reverence.

Cidra opened her eyes and faced her
demon.

“
Cidra Faulkner,” Tausek
began. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Seated at Plass’ desk, Stoll glanced up at
Fiske in surprise and irritation. “I told you to stand guard
outside Tausek’s chambers.”

Fiske stood motionless just inside the
doorway and said nothing.

Stoll’s face reddened. He pushed himself to
a standing position. “Did you hear me?”

“
I heard you. The d’Hont no
longer take orders from you.” Fiske raised his laser rifle to
Stoll’s chest.

The Commander’s eyes narrowed with hate and
anger and a low growl rumbled through him. He lunged around his
desk at Fiske. The laser blast caught Stoll squarely in the chest.
His face contorted in pain as he collapsed on the floor.

Fiske stepped over the body and went to work
at the communications center.

“
Ready?” Rourke
asked.

Berman nodded and hefted the laser cannon
over his shoulder into an awkward position, lining the sights up at
the ceiling over his head. An instant later, the machine bore a
perfect two-meter hole through the ceiling, followed by the ceiling
of the level above, and the next.

“
Nice and steady. If you
hit anything structural outside the corridors, we’re going to be
digging out from under this building for a long time,” Rourke
muttered over Berman’s shoulder. “And remember only fifteen levels.
We don’t want to spook Tausek.”

Berman grunted, sweat beginning to spread
across his brow as the laser ate a perfectly round, two-meter wide
tunnel through the tower levels.

Rourke turned to Decker who was fitting
Plass with his rappelling harness. The three of them wore harnesses
with clips in the back, ready to take the harrowing ride up through
Berman’s new tunnel. The marksman stood by with the harpoon gun and
cable.

“
Looks like we’re taking
the express route.” Rourke grinned.

Decker stood next to him and watched
Berman’s progress skeptically. “Are you sure this is going to
work?”

Rourke balked. “Hey, it was my idea. What do
you think?”

Decker shook his head. “You don’t want to
know what I think. Is Barrios alright trapped in that lift?”

“
Alright?” Rourke snorted.
“He’s safer than we are. Plass said it would become operational
once they shut off the alarms.”

Finished, Berman cut the laser cannon fire
and dropped back. “Harpoon gun.”

A split second later, the marksman was
targeting the ceiling of Level Eighteen and pulling the trigger.
The cable attached to the harpoon zinged upward and snapped
taut.

The marksman reached over and clipped the
three-man rigging unit to the gun barrel and hoist. He then clipped
each man’s harness to the rigging, facing outward. As soon as he
stepped clear, Berman addressed them. “All yours. Good luck. We’ll
be backing you up.”

Rourke nodded and activated the hoist
control behind his head. The initial jerk nearly ripped them out of
their harnesses. Higher and faster they ascended through the narrow
tunnel.

“
Keep still, boys.” Rourke
looked up, gauging their velocity. “Banging into a floor section at
this speed is going to hurt like hell. And whatever you do, don’t
look down.”

Above them, a laser blast shot perilously
close to the thin cable they now owed their lives to.

“
That didn’t take long.
Next level. Your side, Decker,” Rourke ordered.

“
Got it.” Decker slowly
raised his laser pistol and began firing continuously as the level
approached. He pumped artillery into the waiting guards.

The ascent seemed eternal and before they
reached the end of the line, all three men were returning fire on
every level they encountered.

The ride ended abruptly with the trio
hanging fifteen levels up, staring at two surprised tower guards on
the eighteenth level. Outnumbered and stunned, the guards were
quickly eliminated.

Rourke unclipped his harness and shoved off
the other two men, clearing the gap to the floor. He reached out
and hauled Decker and Plass to the safety of solid ground.

Decker exhaled a long sigh of relief.

Rourke grinned at him. “Feel better?”

“
I’m taking the lift
down
,” Decker
muttered.

As they removed their harnesses, Plass
looked around at the empty corridor. “Where are the rest of the
guards?”

“
Probably heading for the
lower levels,” Rourke answered. “Fine with me. Let Berman handle
them.” He looked up from the micro micropad to the corridor ahead
of them. “Access shaft that way.”

“
I expected you to be
bigger.” Cidra squared up her shoulders. She could feel Grey’s
quiet strength next to her, giving her the lead.

Tausek’s expression didn’t change. “I
expected you to be dead.”

“
And miss the honor of
meeting my family’s murderer? Never.”

“
Your father killed
millions of my people by denying us the vaccine. He deserved to
die,” Tausek uttered in supreme domination.

Cidra’s eyes narrowed. “The real beauty of
history is how easily it can be rewritten as new facts emerge.”

Tausek’s mouth twitched. Their eyes
locked.

“
We know what you did,” she
continued fearlessly. “We know how you did it and we know
why.”

Tausek’s eyebrows raised a millimeter and
settled back down. “Well done. I underestimated you. No doubt the
reason why you’ve proven so difficult to kill.”

“
I had help.”

Tausek looked at Grey. “Grey Stone. You are
unexpected and unwelcome.”

Grey smiled broadly. “I’m only here to watch
you squirm.”

Tausek’s eyes narrowed minutely. “It is you
who will squirm.”

“
You betrayed your own
people and used the d’Hont,” Cidra prodded.

Tausek turned back to her. “The d’Hont are
no more than a weapon at my disposal. They served me well and will
continue do my bidding.”

Cidra persisted. “The millions died because
of you.”

“
It was a small price to
pay for my rightful place,” Tausek concurred.

Victory flooded Cidra in a rush. She could
only hope the confession made it beyond these walls.

Grey stepped forward. “Lucky for you, the
plague came to Dakru when it did.”

Tausek gave a short snort. “Luck,” he
gloated, “had nothing to do with it.”

The words hung between them as the
revelation turned to horror. Cidra’s resolve faltered. She choked
out, “You brought it here? You infected your own people?”

Tausek cast her a pitying look. “Of course.
It was the opportunity I’d been seeking.”

Grey cut in. “Why didn’t the d’Hont die as
well?”

“
I needed them. The vaccine
was given to them as part of their regular inoculations,” Tausek
answered him smugly. “I planned for everything.”

“
But their families?” Cidra
stammered.

Tausek leveled his eyes at hers coolly.
“It’s amazing how the death of a loved one or two can guarantee
more loyalty to the cause than mere credits can buy.”

Air rushed out of her lungs in shock. Her
voice shook. “Why?”

Tausek’s mouth slid into a demonic curve.
“How else would the son of a female slave hand become the most
powerful man on the planet? I was the product of a d’Hont rape. It
is only fitting that they made me what I am today.”

Suddenly, the communication’s device in her
boot emitted a short squeal of feedback. Cidra’s breath caught as
Tausek stared at her boot and slowly raised his gaze to hers. Then
he hissed low. The corvits came to life, advancing slowly on
her.

She heard Grey’s low curse next to her just
before he stepped between her and the corvits.

Tendrils of primal fear coiled within her.
Tausek casually turned and walked to the second door, leaving the
corvits guarding his prisoners. The door opened and Tausek stepped
inside. He turned to face them.

“
Cidra, come to me,” Tausek
ordered. His arrogant voice cut through her.

Grey cast her a hard look.

Tausek kept his eyes on Cidra. “I will order
the corvits to kill Stone if you refuse.”

Cidra’s heart thumped wildly in her chest. A
vision of Grey being viciously ripped apart flashed by.

“
No, Cidra,” Grey whispered
over his shoulder.

She looked from his broad, vulnerable back
to the terrifying creatures of muscle and claws. Tausek wanted her,
not Grey. If she left now, he could escape or be rescued. He had a
better chance without her.

Cidra turned and followed Tausek, testing
her wrist restraints gently. She stepped through the doorway and
looked back at Grey.

His eyes were fierce, his body taut and
poised. She could see the transformation. The hunter had come
alive. And he was not happy.

Tausek moved behind her. Cidra watched in
stunned disbelief as Tausek slowly raised his arm and pointed a
finger at Grey. “Target!”

Her scream of “No!” rang out and was
abruptly cut off by Tausek’s steely arm around her throat. The
other arm wrapped around her waist and jerked her tight against his
body. The door closed as Tausek dragged her into his private
chamber.

“
Hurry up,” Rourke yelled.
“We’re almost there.”

Running backwards, Rourke fired behind
Decker and Plass, covering them as they sprinted by. More guards
pursued them, rushing up from the lower levels. The final two
floors had been a virtual gauntlet of gunfire.

Plass ran to the final access shaft leading
to the top level and began entering his access code. Tausek and
Cidra’s voices could be heard clearly over the tower’s
communication system. He didn’t know how or why, just that Fiske
was the only person who could have established the link. The fact
that his access codes were once again working only deepened the
mystery.

As the access door slid open, they all dove
for the cover the access shaft offered. Laser blasts criss-crossed
down the corridor behind them. Rourke and Decker alternately
returned fire.

Plass said, “You are going to have to stay
here and hold them back. I’ll take care of Tausek.”

Rourke snapped, “Forget Tausek. You take
care of Grey and Cidra. Or we’ll stop shooting at them and start
shooting at you.”

He turned to fire at the newest wave of
guards to attack their position. “You’d think these guys would give
up after Tausek’s confession.”

“
They aren’t d’Hont. They
work for Tausek,” Plass snarled as he headed up the
shaft.

As Plass breached the top level landing, he
froze as Tausek’s ‘target’ and Cidra’s scream riveted him in place.
Heart pounding, he began racing down the corridor towards Tausek’s
chambers. Just as Plass rounded the corner, he caught the sight of
Fiske running flat-out from the other direction. The Lieutenant
waved his laser pistol and yelled to him, “Kill the corvits!”

They reached the door at almost the same
time, triggering the activation field. Stepping inside, they took
in the gruesome sight. Grey was alone, flinging one corvit off his
bloody right arm and sending it careening into the wall. The other
corvit was ripping into his neck and back as he tried to pull it
off with his other hand.