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Double-Edged Loyalties
Nola blinked and yawned at the lights of her apartment on Charles Air Force Base. She had been ordered to keep an eye on things at the base. Apparently, as she had reoported to Konrad, Tyree and Bingo had been taken hostage by the enemy and were counted dead. "I hate this place." She mumbled, struggling to sit up in her bunk. She hadn't had a lot of sleep in the last few weeks. Tying up loose ends and covering the trails of many of the base's deserters. "Thank the Ancestors I don't have to work today." Nola swung out of bed and headed for the shower. She only had three things on her mind. A coffee, a shower, and Cale Oosha. Cale Oosha. What conspiracies have I gotten into? She slipped into the shower. Humming Bingo's favorite erdlufi[1] song. Well, at least it was her nickname. Tyree and Nola had affectionately given their friend Tufa the name Bingo after driving twenty hours with Tufa in the back seat of a Jeep singing the song nonstop.
Twenty minutes later she was dressed in her uniform and making coffee. "If there is one thing to like about this cursed planet, it's coffee." She mumbled, cracking the shells of two eggs. She pulled her favorite cookbook off the fridge and flipped it to a recipe for vegetarian omelets. She ran her finger down the list of ingredients then rooted through the fridge to figure out which of the ingredients she had and which she could substitute. When she had it mixed she put it in the pan, and gingerly leaned on the counter opposite the stove, sipping her coffee. Nola stared into her coffee, thinking of her friends . They had trained under Commander Rafe for two months before the team split up. Nola had come back to Charles Air Force Base, claiming her friends were dead. Tyree stayed with the Oosha and his family in Massachusetts and Bingo went with Shalli and her crew back to Tyrus. I hate this! The only reason that Nola wasn't back on Tyrus right now was a simple matter of family. Tyree only had her uncle, Anzeck, and Nola lived with her brother who couldn't care if she was dead or alive. Actually, he'd probably be happier if I were dead. Bingo on the other hand had her mother, father, a sister and her grandfather. I hate Bingo! Then Nola cursed at herself because she knew she didn't hate Bingo. Bingo had always had it good. She was higher then both Tyree and Nola on a scale of class and just basically had all the good luck. Nola and Tyree were just a notch above servants before they became spies.
"Zak![2] Breakfast!" Nola said, realizing she'd forgotten about her breakfast. She flipped it out of the pan and onto a plate. Fishing a fork out of the drawer she headed for the computer console across the room. "Might as well get some work done." She set down her breakfast and picked up her list of deserters, looking for the ones without checks by them. "Sergeant Stephens, Ashley. Your next on Wheel of Fortune!" Nola placed her hand gently over the orb and called up of Sergeant Stephens personal files. She saved all of Ashley Stephens files onto one of her secret disks then went about deleting the Bases copies. She had to hack through some security protocols, but it wasn't a problem. Nola had been getting better at hacking the more she did it. Out of the forty deserters who had survived she had finished removing about thirty-two of them from the bases main and backup computers. It was necessary to make sure none of the Dragit's men knew what they were looking for. If they already didn't, that is.
Suddenly a panel started humming. Uh-oh! This isn't good. That panel was the only block she had when she hacked into the system so as not to get traced. That humming meant she had run into an unknown barrier. The panel started to beep quietly. Oh- She started mentally cursing as she hurried to leave. She put all her disks together in a case and slipped it into her utility belt. She grabbed a small coat, an already packed travel bag, and the keys to her team's jeep then dashed for the door. Nola poked her head out into the corridor. Nothing yet. Better move, girl. You know they're coming. She started running down the hall to the bases main garage. "Yep'ta zaa'rett!"[3] The yell came from behind her followed by the throb of running feet. Fire at will! Dammit! Nola ran faster. Your not going to make it. She cautioned herself.
I hate to result to primitive means but . . . She turned around and threw two smoke bombs. "Crude but effective." She smiled then turned and started running again. Nola didn't expect the smoke bombs to give her more then a 30 second head start, but it was all she needed, hopefully. Finally! She reached the bases main garage. Her Jeep was on the other side of the lot. She ran for it. Soldiers started to come at her, firing arbuses. Nola, unlike trigger happy Tyree and 'Just Damn Sneaky' Bingo, she liked to use her brain before her weapons. No time for planning. She pulled out her two arbuses and started like mad. Nine soldiers went down. Nola ran again for the Jeep. This time though she made it. Jamming the key in the ignition, she peeled out of the garage. Pushing the Jeep with all her weight on the gas petal and all her mental powers. Arbus fire followed the Jeep out of the base.
Nola was followed for half an hour before she lost her pursuers and she drove for another two hours until she felt safe enough to stop. She pulled the Jeep off under an over hang and parked. Breathe. Nola instructed herself, sitting back. I must find Tyree. She concluded after a moments thought. Nola opened the glove compartment and pulled out a tiny, white leather bound book and a map of the United States. She spread the map across the passengers seat and opened the small book to a page of neat Tyrusian writing. "Glenport in Massachusetts." She breathed. "Tyree, here I come." As she drove away toward the nearest town she could only think of one thing. This mission has failed but I will protect my Oosha and his family to the end of my abilities and my life.
To be continued in Resistance Fighter
A/N: short and sweet and crappy. Like I mentioned these are old. Oh well, not to much I can do.
[1]"Erdlufi" stands for person of earth.
[2] "Zak" means damn in Tyrusian.