A/N – Oi, long time no update. But it's done now, been done for a while, I just haven't had time to even get on the net. Enjoy!
Chapter 13 - Captured
Greg Mitchel and Aika Muyo crawled through the small air vents as quietly as possible. Greg paused at a large vertical shaft and looked into the black abyss. He consulted the datapad Mya Tainer had given him.
"Looks like this is the access shaft for the lift," he whispered to a sweaty calico behind him.
"So take two floors up," she answered.
"Right."
They twisted around to their backs and crawled out to the 18-inch metal rungs. The two were halfway to the third floor when a soft whir was heard from above. Both froze.
"Uh, is that what I think it is…" Aika stuttered.
Incoherent mumblings escaped Greg's lips before he could think, "Just get real close to the ladder, maybe there's enough room for us to fit."
"What if there isn't?" She was panicking again, "We'll die a horrible painful death being crushed or falling and being crushed! I don't wanna die!"
"Aika," Greg said deadpan, "It passed. Let's just hope they didn't hear you crying like a baby."
"I was not," she whined.
"Let's get going," he sighed.
They reached the fifth level without further incident and crawled into the constrictive air vent. Once they reached the vent cover of the main generator room, Greg paused and listened for voices. Upon hearing none, he pushed against the cover gently… which disappeared abruptly and clattered loudly onto the floor.
"Good one," Aika whispered as she pinched his calf.
"Hey," he replied, "I didn't expect it to just fall like a hunk of lead on Titania."
She smirked, "Did anyone notice?"
He poked his head out and looked around. Their path had taken then directly to the large generator room. The two generators ran on solar and thermal heat gathered by large sensors stacked along the outside of the base. The engines were relatively quiet, but probably loud enough to cover the clatter made by the vent as it hit the floor.
Once he made sure there were no furs around, he twisted to his back and slowly inched his way out. With nothing to hold on to though, he landed awkwardly on his back. Aika's ears and eyes peaked out.
"You sure are no cat," she said.
"No shit, kitty," he joked.
He helped her out and consulted the data pad.
"The controls should be on the other side of the first generator," he said.
The two engines were ten-by-ten foot and five feet apart. They were cased in a dull green metal, with panel covers here and there. Greg found the one he was looking for and opened the cover. A mess of wires and switches adorned the plating.
"So is it the red or the green one," Aika asked.
"I'd say the blue one," he said professionally.
He added in a normal voice, "Once I figure out this damn mess we'll have to flip the same switches on each generator at the same time, otherwise it'll cause a surge and possibly overload one."
She nodded.
"Hey," Greg paused, "Mya said she'd contact us on when to flip the lights, right?"
"Yes, you have a bad memory," she smirked.
"Nope, just selective," he countered as he started identifying switches and wires.
Mya Tainer and Kim Motter on the other hand, had traversed to the eighth floor, where the main computer and control rooms were. The actual room was smaller than it looked with computers on every wall except the door for the lift and for the emergency stairs. Both were normally guarded with security checks for anyone entering, but Mya didn't plan on needing a clearance.
Once they reached the eighth level, Mya took the right air vent while Kim took the left. The right side was the only vent entrance to the room. The left side tunneled through the guard's 'shack' and behind the mainframe, with access panels along the length.
As Mya neared the opening, she froze. Voices.
"Can you break the code," a male voice asked.
"I'm working on it, sir. The cipher is very complex and it's taking the decoding program longer than expected," another male voice answered.
"If the program doesn't decode it, save to the pda and we'll have Intel look at it."
The lynx listened intently to the various voices communicating, trying to get a judgment on how many there were. After a few minutes, she estimated six, all were most likely armed.
She talked quietly into her comlink, "There are six enemies in the control room, stay silent."
Kim double-clicked.
Mya soundlessly crawled to the very end of the air vent. The metal grating was all that was between her and the six Venom soldiers occupying the control room. The vents slanted downward, showing her only the hard tile floor one foot down. A booted foot moved into the view.
Once again, she froze. It was a Cornerian issue boot, worn only by pilots.
I'll be damned if that isn't Major Harvey, she thought with a grin.
The lynx tapped her comlink to relay the news to the four other listeners when smooth tan fingertips happened under the vents. They abruptly removed the vent and the face of James Harvey appeared, intent on moving into the exhaust vent as quickly as possible.
But it was impossible with a lynx already occupying the space.
And in the moment of surprise, James' escape was ruined and Mya was found. Strong arms pulled her out of the vent and she was tossed on the floor like a bag of garbage.
"Who is this," an ape laughed, "A rogue soldier, coming to the rescue of her comrades? Too bad it didn't work."
As she tried to sit up, a rifle pushed her back down.
"Check the vent," he said to another ape.
After a few moments, he returned, "Nothing sir."
"Good, put her with the other two."
The other two included James, and the commander of the base, Duncan Bates. The two highest ranking officers currently on station. James wore an apologetic look as Mya was shuffled over, but neither said a word.
Kim listened intently to the words spoken on the other side of softly whirring computers. How had Mya been caught? He figured it wasn't likely that they found the entrance to his side, but it was still a possibility. He moved the rifle by his feet and positioned it for quick access.
Then the tree frog set to work on the datapad. Kim hooked up a connection wire to the handheld computer and began moving through digital backdoors and breaking pass codes. He silently hoped the Venomian decoder hadn't finished its task yet, or his movements would be easily tracked.
Kim's mind was so occupied by his task that he missed conversation between the soldiers.
"Sir, a satellite has been repositioned for enemy air communications. There is no reply from our fighters," a short gray wolf reported as he removed a headset.
"One more thing, sir, the enemy pilots have ground units arriving two hours before our backups."
"Estimate of how many?"
The wolf shook his head negative.
"Secure a line to Venom, General Fitzbrider."
It was done shortly and soon the grizzled old beagle's image flashed onto a screen.
The ape saluted before reporting, "Sir, we have captured the base successfully, but the enemy has gathered troops and they will arrive long before ours. Holding the base against an unknown number of armed troops will be difficult at best," he leaned close so as not to be overheard by the three enemies, "However, objective two has been completed."
The general leaned back in agitated contemplation. Or at least he appeared to do so. Everything had fallen in place so easily that he could barely keep the smile from his muzzle. His composure held, though, and he leaned forward with the 'new' orders.
"Very well, abort the mission. Hostages?"
"Two ranking officers, including the base commander, and seven Flight Officer pilots. The rest are enlisted."
The enlisted were worthless in prisoner exchange, but the two ranking officers had value.
"Bring the two officers and shoot the pilots."
Tomatz saluted before the image of the beagle shrank into darkness. He turned to the two soldiers guarding Mya.
"You heard him," he said simply.
The two grabbed the lynx's wrists and pulled her away from James and Duncan.
"Mya!" James cried as she immediately began struggling against the two captors.
Then, with a soft click, the lights blinked out.