CHAPTER SIX: UNDERCOVER
The constant rain on Borealis had plagued Zekk and his group from the moment their ship had entered the planet's atmosphere. His shoulders ached from the constant climbing the rough terrain demanded, and he was soaked to the bone. He was beginning to wonder if the others thought as he did: that Lex really wasn't all that sure of where she was leading them. She had never given the specific directions, insisting to them she knew how to find it, she just didn't know how to describe how to get there.
"What I don't understand," Zekk spoke up as they trudged on, "is if this place is as bad as you say it is, why hasn't the local government put a stop to it? You can't be the only person that escaped,"
"I don't know," Lex answered with an exasperated sigh. "Maybe the government's in on it to,"
"It wouldn't be the first corrupt government we've come across since the war started," agreed Jaina. "War makes people do some pretty stupid things,"
Zekk didn't bother with a response, but in his mind he was thinking their mission had barely started and already Jaina and Lex unintentionally – or maybe they were doing it on purpose – seemed to team up on him every chance they got. Of course, his behaviour the other night on the ship probably had something to do with that.
They lumbered on in silence, until they reached a particularly high ridge with enough cover to prevent what lay below from seeing them.
"It's about time," Zekk muttered to no one in particular. He was peering down at the two humans standing guard at a cavern entrance leading into a cave. With the rain, he was able to tell there was a force field surrounding the entrance because every once in a while when enough water collected on it, the force field would make small sparks.
"Looks like there's only two of them," said Ganner, peering through a pair of electrobinoculars.
"Lex and I will take care of them," Zekk said, removing his blaster from its holster. "Keep your comm. channel open, we'll tell you when the coast is clear,"
Jaina opened her mouth to protest and then shut it, thinking better of it. Whether she knew Zekk was trying to goad a response out of her or she was simply too cold and wet to argue, Zekk never found that out as he and Lex climbed down the ridge.
As much as Zekk hated everything about the Shadow Academy, much of what he had learned in his stealth training there had helped him and Lex reach the base of the cliff unnoticed. He had a feeling the rest of his training would come in handy very soon.
"So what's this brilliant plan of yours?" Lex asked in a low voice.
"Just trust me,"
She leaned back against the rock of the mountain. "You don't have one, do you?"
"Look, just follow my lead," Zekk said and grabbed her arm.
"Right, that makes me feel loads better," she mumbled, letting him drag her over to the guards, who immediately aimed their blaster rifles at them.
"Hold your fire," Zekk snapped at them. "I found this girl lurking around the caves here,"
Lex feigned struggling relentlessly in his grasp.
"Who are you?" One guard asked.
"I'm the one who's going to have you cleaning every 'fresher in this facility for your questioning of a superior officer,"
"Name and rank," the guard on the left said.
Zekk sighed in frustration. "Captain Jac Quinn, Beta Team,"
"Why are you out of uniform?"
"That's classified," Zekk told him.
"I'm going to have to call the general,"
"Fine," Zekk said with an impatient wave of his hand. "But can it wait until we're inside? I need to question this girl and find out if she's working alone or if there's others still out there,"
The guards looked at each other hesitantly.
Forcing an irritated tone, Zekk said, "unless you want to stay at the rank of private for the rest of your lives, I suggest you let me in,"
Reluctantly, one guard hit something on his belt and a small section of the force field dropped. Fuming, Zekk hauled Lex inside the doorway, muttering about disrespectful junior officers.
As the force field closed behind them, the younger of the two guards said, "I'll have to call the General now, sir. He'll want to know about the intruder,"
"That won't be necessary," said Zekk, revealing his blaster and shooting the guard holding the comlink. Then he took out his partner before he could move more than a step.
Following Zekk's lead, Lex joined Zekk in putting on the guards' clothes.
"You almost had me fooled that you were one of them," Lex commented, picking up one of the two blaster rifles.
"Let's just say I'm a good actor,"
"You haven' t been practicing for this moment, have you?" She asked him.
"A lot of this infiltration stuff I learned back when I was at the Shadow Academy. As much as I've tried to forget it, I'm kind've glad I haven't,"
"Me too,"
He and Lex dragged the guards around to the other side of the mountain, camouflaging as best they could in a thicket of bushes. By the time they got back around to the cave entrance, Ganner and Jaina were jogging towards them then, and Zekk pressed the same switch on the remote he'd seen the guard use to lower the shield earlier.
"What's next?" Jaina asked, taking in the military uniforms they were wearing.
"You play the part of our prisoners," said Zekk, aiming his rifle at Ganner.
Ganner shoved the weapon aside. "Just because this is your mission doesn't mean we have to go along with every crazy idea of yours,"
"Fine, Rhysode. Walk in there with your civilian clothes and see how far you get,"
After some thought, Ganner turned around and grudgingly laced his hands behind his head.
"Just don't get trigger happy, Zekk," Ganner warned him.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Zekk replied, shoving the rifle a little harder than necessary into his back.
"Let's go," said Lex, keeping Jaina in the same position that Zekk had Ganner.
Inside was damp, but at least they were out of the rain. They must have passed by dozens of people but no one said a word to them. They followed a path that seemed to lead deeper underground. There were several small bunkers they came across, and Zekk indicated to one that appeared to be empty. "In there,"
He led the others inside and once they had completed a quick search for anyone or any surveillance devices, he locked the door.
He found some spare tunics similar to the ones he had seen the others wearing and tossed one each to Ganner and Jaina. "Put these on,"
Amazingly, they obliged without protest while he and Lex kept watch on the door.
"If we break into teams we'll be able to cover more ground that way," Jaina said to them after she had finished changing.
Zekk shook his head. "Splitting up is not a good idea. Sticking together – "
"Will take way too long to find what we're here for," she finished. "Besides, walking around in a group of four might look suspicious. Everyone we've seen so far is in groups of two or much larger,"
"We don't even know where to start looking,"
"I think Lex's description of a bunch of crazy scientists trying to turn ordinary people into hosts gives me the impression that we're looking for a large laboratory, probably hidden on one of the lower levels. We passed by a lift on the way here,"
Zekk sighed. He wasn't going to win this battle. "Fine. We'll split up, but keep your comlink on in case you find anything,"
Jaina nodded. "Lex is with me. Zekk and Ganner, you're together. We'll meet back here in two hours. Is there a problem?" Zekk was glaring at her.
"No, no problem," Zekk answered through gritted teeth.
Ganner did not look anymore happy about the situation then he did, but remained silent.
"Good," she said and moved for the door.
Before Jaina could open the door Zekk said, "just try and stay out of trouble, okay?"
He was looking at the both of them when he said it, but he was speaking more to Jaina then to Lex.
Jaina knew that. "Don't I always?"
Then they were gone.
Zekk and Ganner waited five minutes before leaving as well. With Jaina and Lex taking the lower levels, he and Ganner would have the upper ones to explore.
Zekk had a bad feeling about splitting up. But he knew they could cover more ground this way, because the longer they stuck around the more likely it was that they would be found out or someone would notice the guards missing at the entrance. He wasn't sure why he had wasted his breath telling Jaina to be careful. Because more often then not, the words 'trouble' and 'Solo' were interlinked.