Chapter 5: Truths
"So what do we do about it?" Carma asked, raking her fingers through her hair.
"If we are to remove Talyn before the collar can be set in place then we will require assistance."
"You want to recruit Crichton and Aeryn?"
"I believe that is our only option. We will somehow have to access the centre's long distance communications," Crais replied.
"No need," Carma said, pulling a small device from her cleavage.
Crais raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that you made it a habit to carry surveillance equipment in your underwear."
Carma ignored his comment. "This is a long range communicator. We can contact Moya from here."
"That risks someone detecting the transmission and locating our position," Crais replied.
Carma shook her head. "It has a trace-blocker built into it. No-one will be able to locate us and if they detect it the signal will cut out automatically...so we'll know."
"Hardly civilian technology."
Carma again ignored him and punched a few buttons on the device, studying the readouts intently.
"Got you," she said quietly, inputting a sequence of commands.
"What are you doing?" Crais asked.
"I'm sending out a beacon to Moya's location," Carma replied. "Once they adjust their comms frequency to ours, we'll be able to talk to them."
A few microts later, Crichton's voice came over the device.
"Uh...hello?"
"Crichton, this is Carma," Carma said before Crais could open his mouth. "We've got a situation. It's Talyn"
"What's the problem?"
"It's a long story," Carma said.
"In summary, we require your help," Crais said.
"Okay," Crichton replied.
Crais and Carma exchanged glances. "That was easy," Carma said.
"Yeah well," Crichton said, scratching the back of his neck. "Even if you don't remember it, I kinda owe you one...or several. Plus it's Talyn, he's Moya's baby."
"Thank you Crichton," Crais replied, still feeling at a disadvantage due to his memory loss. "We appreciate your help."
"What do you want us to do?" Crichton asked.
"Talyn is being held in the projects lab, section three, level four," Carma said. "We need to get him out of there and off this planet. Crais and I will see what useful information we can pick up and contact you again in half an arn. Don't do anything until you hear from us."
"You're not even going to tell us roughly what this is about?" Crichton asked.
"Crichton," Crais said, "they are building a control collar for Talyn."
"Anything you want us to bring?" Crichton asked immediately. "Guns, ropes...torture implements?"
"Pulse weapons should be sufficient," Crais replied.
"We need to find out what we can before someone registers that we haven't left," Carma said. "One half-arn, be ready."
"Understood. Over and out," Crichton replied.
Carma gave the communicator a strange look for a microt, then shrugged her shoulders slightly and returned to the matter in hand.
"We can't do any more surveillance from up here," she said. "If someone looks up they'll see us and it's too hard to escape if they catch up. About two levels down there's an air filter shaft. We can turn off the flow and get in there, we'll be able to see the whole bay and we shouldn't be detected."
"How large is the shaft?" Crais asked.
Carma looked him up and down. "You're right, you're probably too big to fit. I can do it though."
Crais shot her an annoyed look. "What makes you so confident?"
"Experience," Carma replied shortly.
"I thought you said that you didn't know anything about surveillance."
"I lied," Carma replied. "We have to get moving."
Biting his tongue to keep from questioning her further, Crais followed her out of the room.
"The best way down is one of the access shafts up here," Carma said softly, "but we'll have to take the stairs. This section is usually deserted anyway."
"Except in this case," Crais replied, indicating down the corridor.
Two guards were approaching them.
"We can't let them activate the alarm," Carma hissed to Crais. "It's in the panel by that door. If they do, within a few seconds the entire section will know we're here and we're dead meat."
Crais nodded. "Understood."
They slowly walked towards the guards.
"What are you doing up here?" one guard asked.
Crais and Carma exchanged looks. "You go and I will cover you," Crais murmured.
"Not a chance," Carma murmured back. "I'm supposed to be *your* carer, remember and I can take care of myself. You take right, I'll take left."
"This is more than self-defence Carma," Crais snapped.
"You're right," she replied, "it's life and death. I prefer life. Now take right."
Crais looked at her, frustrated. "Fine, take left."
One of the guards raised a weapon. "I'm afraid you'll have to come along with me."
Carma turned to Crais and nodded. She kicked suddenly, sending the weapon flying across to the wall and moving straight into attack. Crais had only a few moments while fighting the other to watch her.
She threw the guard over her shoulder so he landed hard on the ground. He immediately flipped himself to his feet, but nearly lost his balance when Carma hit him soundly on the left side of his jaw. She hit his stomach before he could recover and he fell to his knees. She went to retrieve the weapon. He rose behind her and threw her against the wall. Carma hit it with a grunt, but ducked before he could target her body again. She pulled his legs from under him. He instantly tried to pin her down before she could get up. She struggled, hands forcing his head back as he tried to keep her trapped. Suddenly Crais heard a crack he recognised all too well. He dealt the guard he was fighting a swift panthak jab and left his now-unconscious opponent lying on the floor.
Carma had rolled the guard off her and was sitting by him.
"We have to go," Crais said quietly.
"Yeah," Carma said, "we do." She ripped off the identity tags the guard had been wearing. Crais followed suit.
"We'll have to lock this guy up," Carma said. "Don't want him activating the alarm when he comes to."
"Don't tell me you've got chains on your person also."
"Not quite," Carma said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"You are full of surprises."
Her eyes clouded over for a microt. "Yeah, that I am."
They pulled the two men into a room, handcuffed the unconscious one to a cabinet and left the other lying on the floor.
"I wonder if he had a family," Carma said suddenly, looking at the man she had killed.
"I suggest that you do not dwell on it for now," Crais replied.
"Let's go," Carma said.
***
"I believe that I can fit into there."
"Fine, do what you want. But if you get stuck I'm leaving you there."
Crais climbed into the access shaft and moved up to the grill where Carma had been watching the room. After a few moments, he spotted something and his eyes widened.
"Carma," he said, when he had crawled out of the shaft. "That is...."
"My father, I know."
"You knew that your father was involved in this?" Crais asked in disbelief.
"Of course I knew," Carma snapped back. "I'm not an idiot. I'm a carer, it's my job to know what people aren't telling me."
"You said that you could never leave him," Crais said quietly. "That you were all he had. I thought...."
"I used to care about him," Carma said, "but sometimes people do things and you just can't repair the damage to your relationship."
Crais nodded. Carma watched him.
"I wasn't lying," she said. "I can't leave him. Just not for the reasons you think."
"Then what are your reasons?" Crais asked, meeting her eyes.
"Living in the house of a traitor puts me in a useful position."
"You're an informer," Crais stated.
Carma nodded. "Commandant Veldone is head of the rescue centre project, but the other government heads know she's got some other agenda. They just don't know what it is. It's my job to find out."
"So you can't leave because...."
"Because as long as he's involved in this project, I'm employed by the state to watch him and if I try to leave I'll be killed."
"What would you need to do for you to be released from your contract?"
"Find out what the project is really about and blow it open. Once the secret is out, the government will move in and my job is over."
Crais stroked his goatee. "What would they want with Talyn?"
Carma shook her head. "I don't have the slightest idea."
"Do you have a plan to find out?"
"Right now I'm just trying to rescue Talyn. If I can find out some more along the way that would be great, but that's not my number one priority right now."
"It's your job to find out."
"No. It's my *job* to take care of you. I'm *required* to watch Selon. They have other informers who are trying to uncover the whole thing."
"Do you know who they are?" Crais asked.
"No, every agent works blind. That way, if one is caught, the whole structure can't go down."
"Do you believe that your father is aware of your allegiances?"
"If he were, I'd be dead by now. He thinks I'm completely innocent of what's going on."
"And what do you intend to do now?"
"The government won't come in until they know exactly what's going on. We're on our own until then. To get Talyn out we'll have to get you on board. We should be able to activate his manual controls at least. I think he's just about repaired enough to fly, but he still can't starburst. Getting out of here will be tough."
"First we will find out what your government wants to know," Crais said. "And then you will be able to come with us.
"So what do we do about it?" Carma asked, raking her fingers through her hair.
"If we are to remove Talyn before the collar can be set in place then we will require assistance."
"You want to recruit Crichton and Aeryn?"
"I believe that is our only option. We will somehow have to access the centre's long distance communications," Crais replied.
"No need," Carma said, pulling a small device from her cleavage.
Crais raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that you made it a habit to carry surveillance equipment in your underwear."
Carma ignored his comment. "This is a long range communicator. We can contact Moya from here."
"That risks someone detecting the transmission and locating our position," Crais replied.
Carma shook her head. "It has a trace-blocker built into it. No-one will be able to locate us and if they detect it the signal will cut out automatically...so we'll know."
"Hardly civilian technology."
Carma again ignored him and punched a few buttons on the device, studying the readouts intently.
"Got you," she said quietly, inputting a sequence of commands.
"What are you doing?" Crais asked.
"I'm sending out a beacon to Moya's location," Carma replied. "Once they adjust their comms frequency to ours, we'll be able to talk to them."
A few microts later, Crichton's voice came over the device.
"Uh...hello?"
"Crichton, this is Carma," Carma said before Crais could open his mouth. "We've got a situation. It's Talyn"
"What's the problem?"
"It's a long story," Carma said.
"In summary, we require your help," Crais said.
"Okay," Crichton replied.
Crais and Carma exchanged glances. "That was easy," Carma said.
"Yeah well," Crichton said, scratching the back of his neck. "Even if you don't remember it, I kinda owe you one...or several. Plus it's Talyn, he's Moya's baby."
"Thank you Crichton," Crais replied, still feeling at a disadvantage due to his memory loss. "We appreciate your help."
"What do you want us to do?" Crichton asked.
"Talyn is being held in the projects lab, section three, level four," Carma said. "We need to get him out of there and off this planet. Crais and I will see what useful information we can pick up and contact you again in half an arn. Don't do anything until you hear from us."
"You're not even going to tell us roughly what this is about?" Crichton asked.
"Crichton," Crais said, "they are building a control collar for Talyn."
"Anything you want us to bring?" Crichton asked immediately. "Guns, ropes...torture implements?"
"Pulse weapons should be sufficient," Crais replied.
"We need to find out what we can before someone registers that we haven't left," Carma said. "One half-arn, be ready."
"Understood. Over and out," Crichton replied.
Carma gave the communicator a strange look for a microt, then shrugged her shoulders slightly and returned to the matter in hand.
"We can't do any more surveillance from up here," she said. "If someone looks up they'll see us and it's too hard to escape if they catch up. About two levels down there's an air filter shaft. We can turn off the flow and get in there, we'll be able to see the whole bay and we shouldn't be detected."
"How large is the shaft?" Crais asked.
Carma looked him up and down. "You're right, you're probably too big to fit. I can do it though."
Crais shot her an annoyed look. "What makes you so confident?"
"Experience," Carma replied shortly.
"I thought you said that you didn't know anything about surveillance."
"I lied," Carma replied. "We have to get moving."
Biting his tongue to keep from questioning her further, Crais followed her out of the room.
"The best way down is one of the access shafts up here," Carma said softly, "but we'll have to take the stairs. This section is usually deserted anyway."
"Except in this case," Crais replied, indicating down the corridor.
Two guards were approaching them.
"We can't let them activate the alarm," Carma hissed to Crais. "It's in the panel by that door. If they do, within a few seconds the entire section will know we're here and we're dead meat."
Crais nodded. "Understood."
They slowly walked towards the guards.
"What are you doing up here?" one guard asked.
Crais and Carma exchanged looks. "You go and I will cover you," Crais murmured.
"Not a chance," Carma murmured back. "I'm supposed to be *your* carer, remember and I can take care of myself. You take right, I'll take left."
"This is more than self-defence Carma," Crais snapped.
"You're right," she replied, "it's life and death. I prefer life. Now take right."
Crais looked at her, frustrated. "Fine, take left."
One of the guards raised a weapon. "I'm afraid you'll have to come along with me."
Carma turned to Crais and nodded. She kicked suddenly, sending the weapon flying across to the wall and moving straight into attack. Crais had only a few moments while fighting the other to watch her.
She threw the guard over her shoulder so he landed hard on the ground. He immediately flipped himself to his feet, but nearly lost his balance when Carma hit him soundly on the left side of his jaw. She hit his stomach before he could recover and he fell to his knees. She went to retrieve the weapon. He rose behind her and threw her against the wall. Carma hit it with a grunt, but ducked before he could target her body again. She pulled his legs from under him. He instantly tried to pin her down before she could get up. She struggled, hands forcing his head back as he tried to keep her trapped. Suddenly Crais heard a crack he recognised all too well. He dealt the guard he was fighting a swift panthak jab and left his now-unconscious opponent lying on the floor.
Carma had rolled the guard off her and was sitting by him.
"We have to go," Crais said quietly.
"Yeah," Carma said, "we do." She ripped off the identity tags the guard had been wearing. Crais followed suit.
"We'll have to lock this guy up," Carma said. "Don't want him activating the alarm when he comes to."
"Don't tell me you've got chains on your person also."
"Not quite," Carma said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"You are full of surprises."
Her eyes clouded over for a microt. "Yeah, that I am."
They pulled the two men into a room, handcuffed the unconscious one to a cabinet and left the other lying on the floor.
"I wonder if he had a family," Carma said suddenly, looking at the man she had killed.
"I suggest that you do not dwell on it for now," Crais replied.
"Let's go," Carma said.
***
"I believe that I can fit into there."
"Fine, do what you want. But if you get stuck I'm leaving you there."
Crais climbed into the access shaft and moved up to the grill where Carma had been watching the room. After a few moments, he spotted something and his eyes widened.
"Carma," he said, when he had crawled out of the shaft. "That is...."
"My father, I know."
"You knew that your father was involved in this?" Crais asked in disbelief.
"Of course I knew," Carma snapped back. "I'm not an idiot. I'm a carer, it's my job to know what people aren't telling me."
"You said that you could never leave him," Crais said quietly. "That you were all he had. I thought...."
"I used to care about him," Carma said, "but sometimes people do things and you just can't repair the damage to your relationship."
Crais nodded. Carma watched him.
"I wasn't lying," she said. "I can't leave him. Just not for the reasons you think."
"Then what are your reasons?" Crais asked, meeting her eyes.
"Living in the house of a traitor puts me in a useful position."
"You're an informer," Crais stated.
Carma nodded. "Commandant Veldone is head of the rescue centre project, but the other government heads know she's got some other agenda. They just don't know what it is. It's my job to find out."
"So you can't leave because...."
"Because as long as he's involved in this project, I'm employed by the state to watch him and if I try to leave I'll be killed."
"What would you need to do for you to be released from your contract?"
"Find out what the project is really about and blow it open. Once the secret is out, the government will move in and my job is over."
Crais stroked his goatee. "What would they want with Talyn?"
Carma shook her head. "I don't have the slightest idea."
"Do you have a plan to find out?"
"Right now I'm just trying to rescue Talyn. If I can find out some more along the way that would be great, but that's not my number one priority right now."
"It's your job to find out."
"No. It's my *job* to take care of you. I'm *required* to watch Selon. They have other informers who are trying to uncover the whole thing."
"Do you know who they are?" Crais asked.
"No, every agent works blind. That way, if one is caught, the whole structure can't go down."
"Do you believe that your father is aware of your allegiances?"
"If he were, I'd be dead by now. He thinks I'm completely innocent of what's going on."
"And what do you intend to do now?"
"The government won't come in until they know exactly what's going on. We're on our own until then. To get Talyn out we'll have to get you on board. We should be able to activate his manual controls at least. I think he's just about repaired enough to fly, but he still can't starburst. Getting out of here will be tough."
"First we will find out what your government wants to know," Crais said. "And then you will be able to come with us.