Chapter 10
The man in the white lab coat came over, barely glancing at us, but directing us over to an open panel on the leapwave transmitter.
"Pull out those couplings and replace them with these." the man instructed, gesturing toward an open box half-filled with electrical components. He turned, on the verge of stalking away to supervise the next group of workers. But then he stopped, peering closer at me. I did my best to hide behind Joe, but this persistent Galactor wasn't having any of it.
"You…" his eyes widened in amazement. "You're a woman!"
"I…" I did my best to respond in a deep, gruff voice, even knowing it was too late. Our cover had been blown.
"A woman?"
"Jerrson, you snuck a woman in here?"
"You're going to share, right?"
"Where is she?"
Before Joe or I could react, the dozen Galactors still remaining in the room had already stood up, and were eagerly approaching our position. I was far more unnerved by the Galactors' discovery that we weren't who we seemed to be, rather than by the intentions of this rough mob. I knew that Joe and I were easily capable of handling ourselves in a fight… but what if these men managed to raise the alarm? Could we really fight our way out of this base meter by meter?
I saw Joe's shoulders tense, and knew he had reached the same conclusion I had.
"Come here, babe!" One of the soldiers grabbed at me, but I easily avoided his clumsy maneuver.
"I'm no one's 'babe'." I growled, striking out at the man, breaking his neck. He collapsed to the ground. The other men laughed raucously, not yet realizing that their comrade was dead. I only had a second to act. I spun on the ball of my foot, lashing out at the Galactor in the lab coat, crushing his windpipe with a high kick. I carried my momentum forward, striking at another soldier before dropping my leg down.
By this time, the men had all realized that something was up, and they rushed me en masse, as I had hoped. Controlled by a mob mentality, their supervisor down, none of them had thought to call for backup or raise an alarm. Joe used the advantage of surprise to start picking them off from behind, literally grabbing two men at a time and bashing their heads together with enough force to crack their skulls. I reverted to combat techniques from our earliest training days at Dr. Nambu's villa, kicking and punching in rapid succession, although the power of these attacks was far greater than I could ever have imagined all those years ago. At every point of contact, I felt the force of my hands and feet sinking through muscle and flesh to bone, literally disabling my opponents by destroying their skeletons. A kick to the right spot on a soldier's ribs would send sharp shards of bone into his heart. A hit to the nose would force bone fragments into my attacker's brain. My very touch meant death, and at that moment it was a heady feeling, a menacing rush of power coursing through my soul.
It only took a few seconds to destroy them all, littering the floor with broken fragments of creatures that only a moment before had been men, but were now wrecks of humanity. A low snarl escaped my throat as my head whipped around, looking for more opponents, disappointment washing over me as I realized there were no further targets for my aggression. I was like an animal, bent on destruction, enjoying the chaos I had wrought.
Inside, I was horrified by my reaction. How could I have done this? How could I have fought my enemy, killed so many so quickly… and enjoyed it? As my senses returned, a feeling of shame began to overtake me.
Joe caught my gaze, and I saw my own primal emotions reflected back at me. Yet there was no sense of disgrace in his eyes, only a cold sense of the rightness of our actions. He had enjoyed our brief combat, but had no regrets. Relief coursed through me as I realized that Joe understood… that he had experienced the same feelings as I, but without the self-recrimination. It was something of a shock to realize that this man I respected, whom I loved like a brother, could throw off the near-instantaneous killing of a dozen men as something necessary, with no apologies for his enjoyment of the act.
"Let's move it!" he barked, breaking the spell of the moment. I nodded, my head instantly back in the game. I moved quickly over to the leapwave transmitter, catching the backpack full of explosives that Joe tossed my way. I focused completely on my work, wiring enough explosives into Dr. Raphael's prototype device to instantly incinerate it. The entire process took less than a quarter of a minute, but before I was done, loud sirens were going off.
"Intruders outside the base!" Commander Marstora's voice rang out over an internal announcement system. "Every man to combat stations!"
Did Marstora think we were still outside? Or was there someone else? Whatever the reason, I didn't want to sit around contemplating it. I tossed the now-lightened backpack to Joe and slammed shut the panel on the leapwave transmitter.
"Time to go." I noted. "I can set these off as long as I'm within two kilometers."
"Good enough." Joe replied curtly, indicating that I was to join him with a sharp gesture. We moved back toward the door through which we had entered, but when it opened, it was all I could do to contain my gasp of shock.
The corridor was filled with men: a river of Galactor green all running in one direction.
"Battle stations!" shouted a man with sergeant's stripes on his shoulder. "Everyone to the Vehicle Bay!"
There was no help for it. From the moment we opened the door, Joe and I were victims of this sea of humanity, being pushed along the passageway toward the unknown Vehicle Bay. The men were rowdy, clearly eager for a fight, and no one was paying much attention to anyone else, so for the moment my gender seemed to escape notice, despite the close quarters. It was all I could do to keep track of Joe, as he moved ahead of me in the crowd, the green uniforms in view all blending together. It was fortunate for me that he carried his backpack down at his side, which helped me identify him amongst the rest of the otherwise identical men.
We had to get out of here. The longer we stayed, the more likely it was that someone would discover us, or worse, discover the explosives I had left behind, and begin disarming them. I could only hope that once we got to this Vehicle Bay, we'd be able to find a way out.
It seemed that Joe had been thinking similar thoughts, as the moment we arrived at our destination, he headed toward a small military-style jeep. The Vehicle Bay was swarming with troops, perhaps a hundred men all rushing to various helicopters, tanks, and small jeeps like the one Joe had set his sights on. Every vehicle was filling up with armed men, grabbing laser rifles, rocket launchers, and shoulder cannons… any kind of weapon they could lay their hands on. Boldly, I seized one of each from the distribution racks before meeting up with Joe, who was already sitting in the driver's seat of the jeep. I tossed the rifle into his lap as I got in.
"Thought you could use this." I murmured.
"Only if I'm lucky." he grinned back, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the gun. His fingers drummed impatiently on the steering wheel. Joe had chosen the first unoccupied vehicle, but unfortunately it had been behind a large convoy of others. Massive doors were opening at the side of the Bay, but it was clear that we would have to wait our turn to leave. The deep red light of sunrise washed over the waiting troops, coloring the usually-green uniforms with a blood-like haze.
"Over here!" a voice called. I glanced backward, surprised to see a Galactor soldier climbing into the jeep behind me, another not far behind. I turned quickly, grateful that they hadn't been looking at me during my brief lapse.
"You a good driver?" the soldier knocked Joe on the shoulder.
"I'm the best." Joe smirked.
"You'd better be!" the man replied. "Word has it that Commander Marstora's giving a week's leave to the men who take down these intruders!"
"A week?" Joe snorted. "It would take a week just to get out of this damned desert!"
"Leave on the transport, idiot!" the other Galactor sneered. "A chance to get out of this hellhole!"
"I'm going to take the intruders down if it kills me!" the first soldier boasted. "You just drive, and let me take care of the shooting." I snuck a glance at Joe, who appeared to be torn between laughing and smashing his fist into the man's face. Fortunately for our cover, he managed to hold himself back from both actions. His self-control was rewarded, as at that moment, the jeep in front of us pulled away, and it was suddenly our turn to depart. Joe took off, tires squealing, to the delighted whoops of our unwanted passengers. We exited the Vehicle Bay, emerging onto the desert sands, one tiny group of Galactor green in a sea of others. Most of the vehicles took off to the left, but Joe swerved through the cross-traffic, moving in a direction that was roughly straight ahead.
"What the hell are you doing?" The outraged cry came from the back of the jeep. "Everyone's going that way! That's the direction of the damned helicopter."
"If this intruder has any brains, he'll come around, not head straight toward the base." Joe replied casually.
"If you have any brains, you'll turn this vehicle around." the soldier growled. I heard a click, and saw the muzzle of a rifle being placed at the back of Joe's head.
"I have brains." Joe agreed, suddenly swerving the jeep in a sharp turn to the right. predictably, the Galactors had not used their seatbelts, and as a result went flying off the back left of the vehicle, their heads plunging into a large sand dune.
"I have brains, and I plan on keeping them." Joe elaborated, as he spun the wheel to get us back on course.
I looked back, noticing that the soldiers were pulling themselves out of the sand. They were morons, but not that moronic. It was a sure bet that in a moment we'd have the entire body of Galactor troops hot on our tails. And if we were already found out, there was no more reason for delay. Quickly, I pulled out the control device from my pocket and activated it, depressing the detonator button with my fingertip.
For a few seconds, there was only silence behind us. Then a small ripple, and then… The sky exploded in a burst of fire, metal and sand. The ground behind us seemed to quiver, before collapsing completely inward on itself, sending up another spray of flaming debris. Molten sand rained down on the men who were still near the Vehicle Bay, creating chaos in its wake.
"Nice job." Joe smirked.
"I think I overdid it a bit on the leapwave transmitter." I shrugged. "But better too much than too little. I'm out of practice."
"It works for me." he grinned, just as elated as I was. The adrenaline rush pulsing through my body was nearly euphoric, and I could see that Joe was being affected in the same manner.
"We've still got trouble, though." I pointed up into the sky, where a fleet of helicopters was fast approaching our position. On the ground there were also a few jeeps in pursuit, but we had already outrun the tanks, which were not capable of the speed of our lighter vehicle.
"Not a problem." Joe replied, pulling his rifle off of his lap and pointing it toward the nearest aircraft. It only took him a second to aim and fire, but his shot was true. Fuel began pouring out of the helicopter as its fuel line was severed. It was obviously going to have to land, but until then, the soldiers inside were bound to make trouble for us. With my enhanced sight, I could tell that they were setting up rocket launchers.
"Not on my watch!" I growled, grabbing my own rocket launcher and standing up in my seat as much as my belt harness would allow. I hefted the device onto my shoulder, aimed and fired. While my marksmanship was nowhere near the level of Joe's, the degree of talent required for this kind of shot was minimal. If I could hit the broad side of a barn, I'd make it. The difficulty lay in manipulating the heavy, cumbersome launching device, but with my cybernetic strength, that wasn't a problem.
The helicopter exploded, the fiery burst taking out another aircraft in close proximity.
"Show off." Joe snorted. "No finesse."
"Just watch where we're going!" I hollered, as the jeep flew up over a sand dune, only to come crashing back down a moment later on the other side. I bounced in my seat.
"Can't take a little action?" he commented, even as he aimed his rifle again. This time, he appeared to have shot through the windshield and into the helicopter's cockpit, taking out the pilot. The aircraft immediately spiraled toward the ground, a spout of orange and red in the distance revealing its fate.
"I'd take a little less right now, yeah." I replied. But even as I said the words, I knew that I didn't really mean it. I was having the time of my life, and truly enjoying myself in a fashion I could never have imagined. I twisted around inside my harness, facing the back of the jeep, using the rocket launcher to take aim at the vehicles pursuing us on the ground. The jeeps seemed to have transformed, altering their shapes into something else… something with jet propulsion.
"I think this thing transforms!" I shouted at Joe, but he was too busy aiming at another helicopter. A laser blast whizzed by my ear, and I saw that another half dozen aircraft were now in firing range. Grimly, I turned back to our pursuers, loading another rocket into the launcher and taking aim. One of the transformed jeeps exploded, rolling over and leaving a trail of scorched tires behind it. Meanwhile, Joe had taken down a fourth helicopter, and was aiming for another.
Our pursuers continued to approach, we continued to pick them off. It was a stalemate. The only question was what would run out first: our ammunition, or their numbers.
It was close. I ran out of rockets, and had to resort to the laser cannon. This took a bit more finesse, and more than once I was forced to dodge laser bullets and start the aiming process all over again. In my ears I heard the heady rush of explosions, men shouting and laughter… Joe's laughter, echoing in my ears. It was a harsh, maniacal sound, but it fueled me, sending a fierce energy pumping through my veins, a heady mixture from which I drew heavily, forcing the enemy back, ensuring that they did not get close enough to kill.
And then we were free. My head swung back and forth as I searched for our pursuers… and there were none. Between us, we had destroyed them all.
It wasn't enough. My muscles, stiff and sore, still ached to move, while my brain refused to stop analyzing ways to improve my aim, to take out as many enemies as possible with one shot. I gasped for air, forcing my body to relax, but the adrenaline cocktail still running through my veins had long-lasting effects. Everything seemed more sharp, more clear… more alive.
"Damn, that was fun!" Joe whooped like a child, flooring the accelerator once again and causing us to shoot forward in a spray of sand. He turned to look at me, heedless of the oncoming landscape rushing toward us.
"It was…" I gasped in surprise, accepting the sudden realization that I had enjoyed myself… that I didn't want it to be over.
"Hell of a way to end a mission." he grinned, glancing forward again. He continued to swivel his head between me and the endless desert ahead.
"Firing those rockets…" I relived the memory, my foolish euphoria taking control of my emotions.
"Damn sexy, if you ask me."
"Yeah, guns and explosions always turn me on." I had intended my response to be jocular, but the moment the words were out of my mouth, I realized that it was the truth. I had always loved my job as explosives expert… and suddenly I knew exactly why.
We were two of a kind, Joe and I.