Chapter 4
WARNING!!!!: This chapter deals with adult situations, reference to rape etc.
Disclaimer: Still don't own em.
A/N: Sorry this is taking so long, but here's another chapter for you.
~*~
Lieutenant Brody walked silently back toward his quarters, blue eyes troubled. He cursed himself for not realizing it earlier, for not having suspicions the first day the kids all came aboard. Now he was left with more questions than answers. Why had their little rag tag group of refugees deceived them? What were they hiding? The more he thought about their story, the less it made sense. There was no evidence of a hard dock anywhere on their ship, and what raiders didn't gut a ship of all its supplies?
On the other hand, Levi and Stryder's wounds were far from imagined, and three people were dead. The younger kids were all still traumatized, darting away from just about everyone as soon as they were seen. And Stryder was defensive, shielded and more than a little hostile. Something had made her that way. These thought plagued him as he entered his quarters. He couldn't sleep, so he sat down at his desk behind his computer console and began working in earnest.
--
Levi was only mildly surprised when Chris showed up at his door. She'd come straight from Lucas' quarters. Her hair was still disheveled, her eyes puffy from having just woken. He watched her silently as she came in, shutting the door behind her. "You were right," she conceded, taking a seat on Sam's empty bunk.
Levi looked at her expectantly, clasping his hands together on his lap. "I freaked out, nightmares, you know? I attacked Lucas. I could have hurt him. So you were right, we can't stay here. Let's just do it tonight, get it done and get out of here. Please?"
Levi sat up in his bunk, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He went over to Chris, sitting close beside her. "That's my girl." His voice was low and slick, like a serpent's hiss. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "I knew you'd come around. Don't worry, we'll do it soon. Sam is with the lovely Lieutenant Henderson right now, ensuring our escape route. The SeaQuest ain't gonna know what hit them and then we'll be gone and we can put this all behind us."
--
The hallway was dark outside the science lab. None of the science officers were working the current late shift. So the area was basically deserted, except for the security detail that passed by every fifteen minutes. That was more than enough time for Chris to accomplish what she needed.
The next sentry passed by the entrance to the lab. The young ensigns assigned to security talked as they wandered, pulse rifles slung lazily over their shoulders. Their shift was quiet, it was always quiet. Chris watched them, cat like eyes hunting them even in the dark. They disappeared around a corner, their voices fading away.
Chris dropped down from where she had been hiding in the pipes above the corridor. She hung by her hands for a few seconds, then dropped, landing in a crouch on her toes. She moved quickly over to the door to the research lab, hugging close to the shadows thrown by the hatch. The control panel was backlit, casting a weak glow a few inches in front of it. Chris unzipped the small black bag that hung off one hip. Clenching a small penlight in her teeth, she went to work.
She had discovered a flaw in her original plan two days earlier. Although she could get into the lab simply using the access code she's seen Lucas enter, but once the research area had been closed for the day, the room's system came onto a separate security system. So essentially, getting in would be easy, diverting the silent alarms far more difficult. Chris however, was not easily deterred.
She carefully pried off the faceplate of the control panel, exposing a series of colored wires and a motherboard. She deftly hooked a set of alligator clips, attached to a tiny device, to the motherboard. She activated the device, rerouting the power to the secondary security system into her chip. Her brow broke out in sweat and she chewed nervously on her lower lip. She took a green wire between her fingers and blew out a deep breath. When she cut the wire either one of two things would happen. The alarms would go off, or she would successfully severe the security link to the door. Stryder snipped the wire with a set of cutters, holding her breath.
She waited, shoulders hunched, eyes half closed for a minute. She half expected a group of SeaQuest officers to burst out from around the corner, rifles drawn. No one came and she let out a relieved sigh, her entire body relaxing. As the sound of her pulse dimmed in her ears, she returned to the task at hand. Stryder carefully reattached the face plate of the panel, then punched in the access code. There was a slight hiss and the door slid open.
Chris went straight for the rear of the lab, where they stored the laser. Stored in a locked glass case, it was a simple matter to pick the lock. The prototype, smaller in size than a pulse pistol, fit snugly into her hip case. Then she went to the computers. She typed hastily, looking for the set of schematics she knew had to be there.
The screen blinked. Her eyes glinted curiously, backlit by the screen. She downloaded the laser's file onto a disk, tapping her fingers on the desk as she waited. The disk too she placed in her hip satchel, then wiped the hard drive of the schematic. Chris shut down the computer, looked around quickly to make sure there were no lingering signs of her presence, and fled for the door. She looked at her watch and smiled softly, three minutes to spare.
She paused by the door, her smiled wavering. Sure, she had accomplished what she had intended, but what was she giving up in exchange? The SeaQuest was the first place in a long time she felt safe. Lucas, a friend? She bit her lip and shook her head to clear her jumbled mind. Then, glancing furtively out the hatch, trotted down the aisle away from the lab.
"Here," Chris tossed the small hip pack to Levi. "You got what you wanted."
Levi sat up in his cot, taking the bag. He unzipped the pocket, withdrawing the prototype. "This it?" Chris nodded tightly. A slow smile spread over his face. He stood, slinking over to where Chris stood. He ran his hand over her bare arm, then brushed a strand of hair from her face. "That's my girl."
Stryder shuddered, smacking his hand away from her. "I am not your girl Levi. Just tell me when we're leaving."
His eyes clouded, darkening menacingly. His jaw tightened. "Two hours. Meet here. If you're late go straight for docking bay two. We will leave, with you or without you." He turned away from her then, back to his bed to inspect the laser. Chris headed right for her bunk.
--
Later, Stryder hurriedly stuffed a duffel bag with anything in the room she might be able to sell later. Then she emptied the closet, stuffing shirts and plants haphazardly in her bag without folding them. She barely glanced up from her frenzied packing when Lucas came in.
"I need to talk to you."
"I can't talk right now Lucas. I'm………busy."
"I can see that. Changing quarters?"
"Nope."
"Laundry then?"
"I'm leaving."
"What?" he asked, confused. "You can't leave."
"Watch me," she snapped. Stryder zipped the duffel, slinging it over her shoulder. Lucas stepped in front of her, blocking the door. "Get out of my way."
"No." He shook his head. "Not till you explain this to me first." He dropped a sheet of paper onto the bed. Chris' eyes traveled over it briefly, clouding as they read.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I can't."
"Can't, or won't?"
"Both, neither, you choose." She tried to move past him again, but he neatly stepped in front of her. "I can't Lucas. Move." Her voice dropped, low and menacing.
"You've been lying since day one, haven't you? Never given any of us a straight answer."
"You don't understand."
"Oh I understand plenty. I did some research on you Chris. I thought I could maybe find you a family member or something. Imagine my surprise with what I found instead. Your parents are dead all right, but they died when you were 13. And you only have one brother; you were separated in foster care. But that's not really what gets me. Do you know what gets me?" He nodded self assuredly. "You know. Your file Chris……… it says you killed someone. Explain that."
--
Captain Bridger set the report down in front of him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he let this newfound information sink in. He lifted his gaze to study the face of his chief of security. "Are you sure?"
Lieutenant Brody stood at attention, hands clasped behind him. "Yes sir. I'm certain sir." The Lieutenant was anxious, he hated playing waiting games. All he needed was for the Captain to authorize him to mobilize a unit. He'd be off like a shot getting it done. "I ran the check twice Captain."
"Are there any more details about the case?" Bridger questioned.
"No sir. It would seem that Miss Stryder disappeared almost immediately prior to the murder. Her foster parents were reported to believe that she ran before the authorities could get a hold of her. She dropped off UEO radar and hasn't come back on till now."
Bridger rubbed a palm over his jaw. "Anything else?"
Brody shifted from foot to foot. "yes sir." Bridger waited expectantly, eyebrows raised. "A few of the other refugees have criminal records as well. Levi for one, armed robbery, and assault. Charlie Hayes, booked just last year for stealing a car. Samuel Radley, computer fraud."
"But they're just children," the Captain muttered.
"Juvenile delinquents," Brody corrected without thinking. His face flushed. "I apologize Captain."
"It's all right, continue."
"It seems all these kids had police records, and at one point or another, they all vanished. The kid Charlie is actually listed as deceased in the UEO databanks."
Captain Bridger stood. "At ease Lieutenant. Something of a mystery on our hands here, eh Lieutenant Brody?"
"That's putting it mildly sir, to be frank."
"So what do you think the chances are that all these kids ended up here, outside UEO jurisdiction, on the same transport, at the same time?"
"Not very likely sir. May I suggest we go ask them?"
Bridger smiled thinly. "Now that sounds like a good idea. Find them. Round them up, contain them. We need to get some questions answered."
--
"I can't explain Lucas."
"Yes you can. Tell me Chris."
"I can't do it! Don't you get it? I can't!!" She was yelling now, red faced. Her hands shook at her sides as she screamed.
"Why can't you?"
"Because you don't want to hear what it is I have to say!! Trust me you don't want to know!"
"Yes I do! You killed him." She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"You killed someone."
"Yes."
"How could you?" he yelled. She dropped the bag, advancing upon him with raised hands, pressing him back into the wall.
"What? You really think you're in any way prepared to deal with what my life has been like? Yes, all right? I killed a kid. He was sixteen when I did it."
"And you're just okay with that?"
"No!!!"
"Then explain it to me!"
"He raped me," the words were barely a whisper.
"What?"
"He raped me!! Is that what you wanted? Did you really want to know? I was 13 and he raped me! So yes God damn it I killed the son of a bitch and I would do it again in a heartbeat."
"I.. .I.. ." Lucas stuttered, flabbergasted.
Chris continued her onslaught, voice rising to a fevered pitch. "He was the son of my foster parents. One night he came.. . I couldn't stop him. Should I stop now or do you want to know the rest? Do you want to know that this," she pointed to the scar above her eye, "this happened after I told my foster parents?"
She chuckled ironically. "He wore a really big ring on his right hand. And when I told him what his darling son had done he called me a liar and beat the shit out of me! Two weeks later they went out and left us alone. He came at me, but I fought back. We fell, we fell through the glass coffee table. Take a good look what it did to me!" She motioned at her arm, scarred from wrist to shoulder. "It shredded my arm. He was still on top of me, so I grabbed a shard of glass. I stabbed him." She sank down on the bottom bunk, tears streaming down her face. "Again and again. I had to make sure, make sure he couldn't hurt me anymore."
"I'm so sorry," Lucas licked his lips. His mouth felt like cotton.
"That's how I ended up in the mines, how we all ended up there, me, Levi, Sam. No one wanted us, but they'd sell to the highest bidder. I've spent the last 3 and a half years a slave. So when Levi started planning our escape it sounded like a damn fine plan to me." She took a shuddering breath, wiping at her eyes.
"Sounded like," she sniffed. "Life was hard, surviving. It changed us, all of us. But we all stuck together. We were okay together. But somewhere along the way Lucas it got messed up, Levi………he lost it. We were getting shipped out to a new site. We were gonna take over the transfer sub, hijack it and just disappear. Two of the guards died in the fight, but the pilot just gave up. Levi shot him in the back of the head. He's dangerous."
Lucas' face drained of color. "We need to get the Captain."
"I don't think so." Levi's voice from the doorway made them both start. Lucas spun and Chris jumped to her feet. The older boy raised a pulse pistol, aiming it between Lucas' eyes. "Figured I'd come check on you Stryder. Glad I did. Can't have you alerting anyone can I? It's time to go." He moved inside the door, staying back against the wall, gun still trained on Lucas.
"You first Chris, and no funny moves, or I swear I'll shoot him." Chris glared but went obediently for the hatch. "Now you," he ordered. Lucas nodded, moving stiffly. "We're going to loading dock two. The others are meeting us there. Quickly now."
The three teens moved quickly along the corridors of the SeaQuest. The others were waiting outside the docking bay, huddled down in a corner. Sam and Charlie stood over them holding rifles. Charlie stepped forward. "Two junior officers, unarmed."
"Good. We'll rush them. Charlie you take one, Sam take the other. I'll provide cover from the back. The rest of you head for the sub. Their transport isn't as roomy as our tug, but it's faster. Now you two," he nodded at Lucas and Chris, "don't make waves."
The small band of refugees burst into the docking bay. The two junior officers, wheeled. One sited the guns the kids held and reacted instantly, striking the alarm on his control panel. A wailing alarm broke out in the bay. Levi crossed the room in three swift steps, striking the officer to the ground.
Unfortunately for them, Brody and his security crew had been very near when the alarm went off. He and four others rushed to the docking bay. They positioned themselves at the entrance, protected behind the wall. "Charlie, Sam! Cover! Everyone else get on board!"
Charlie and Sam stood half way up the steps to the submersible. They responded obediently, firing at Brody's team. Levi grasped Lucas' collar and began to drag him back toward the sub. Chris winced every time a rifle shot went off. As they retreated back Brody's team advanced. "Let him go Levi!"
Levi let out a shot over Lucas' shoulder. "He's my insurance policy. He's coming. Sam, start the launch!" The younger kid nodded, shouldering his weapon and leaping for the control panel. "Behind you Chris!"
Levi's warning did not go unheeded. She dropped, lashing out with a foot. She swept one of the security officers off his feet. Then she jumped to her feet and planted the heel of her boot in the man's midsection. When she turned back, Levi had Lucas halfway up the stairs to the sub, firing shots off and using Lucas as a shield.
Suddenly SeaQuest personnel were swarming the docking area. His back turned, Sam didn't see an enlisted man come up behind him. She was momentarily torn, chest heaving, feet rooted in place, wanting to go after Lucas, but to protect Sam at the same time. Abandoning Levi, Chris rushed to his aid with a growl. Sam was wrestling for his rifle, but he was clearly outmatched. Chris launched herself into the fray, ripping Sam and the man apart. She landed a solid fist in the man's face. Sam stood, stone still. "Run!" Stryder ordered, teeth clenched. Sam wheeled, darting back up the stairs.
She managed to get the rifle back, but she didn't fire it. She used it instead as a club, swiping at the enlisted man. She struck him in the gut, and as he keeled over, drilled it into his back. He collapsed to the floor. Then there was a brilliant pain at the back of her skull. The rifle clattered to the ground and her knees bucked. She was on her knees, palms down on the cold floor. Her eyes swam, bright lights floating in front of her eyes. She was only dimly aware of the swarm of feet rushing around her. She thought she heard Brody's voice in the din. "Stop the launch!"
"Can't sir, they locked the sequence. I can't stop it."
"Shit!"
Footsteps approached where she lay. A hand grasped her upper arms and dragged her to her feet. Her head lolled to the right, knees feeling like rubber. She blinked, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them she attempted to meet Brody's glare. He activated his comm. "No sir, they hijacked one of the transport subs, we couldn't stop them. . . I have Stryder here sir. Sir that's not all. . . they have Lucas. . . . yes sir, we'll be right there."
Without another word, Brody pushed her forward down the aisle towards the Captain's quarters. Stryder just looked back over her shoulder, at the sealed docking bay, and her one chance at freedom that just passed her by.
Chapter 4
WARNING!!!!: This chapter deals with adult situations, reference to rape etc.
Disclaimer: Still don't own em.
A/N: Sorry this is taking so long, but here's another chapter for you.
~*~
Lieutenant Brody walked silently back toward his quarters, blue eyes troubled. He cursed himself for not realizing it earlier, for not having suspicions the first day the kids all came aboard. Now he was left with more questions than answers. Why had their little rag tag group of refugees deceived them? What were they hiding? The more he thought about their story, the less it made sense. There was no evidence of a hard dock anywhere on their ship, and what raiders didn't gut a ship of all its supplies?
On the other hand, Levi and Stryder's wounds were far from imagined, and three people were dead. The younger kids were all still traumatized, darting away from just about everyone as soon as they were seen. And Stryder was defensive, shielded and more than a little hostile. Something had made her that way. These thought plagued him as he entered his quarters. He couldn't sleep, so he sat down at his desk behind his computer console and began working in earnest.
--
Levi was only mildly surprised when Chris showed up at his door. She'd come straight from Lucas' quarters. Her hair was still disheveled, her eyes puffy from having just woken. He watched her silently as she came in, shutting the door behind her. "You were right," she conceded, taking a seat on Sam's empty bunk.
Levi looked at her expectantly, clasping his hands together on his lap. "I freaked out, nightmares, you know? I attacked Lucas. I could have hurt him. So you were right, we can't stay here. Let's just do it tonight, get it done and get out of here. Please?"
Levi sat up in his bunk, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He went over to Chris, sitting close beside her. "That's my girl." His voice was low and slick, like a serpent's hiss. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "I knew you'd come around. Don't worry, we'll do it soon. Sam is with the lovely Lieutenant Henderson right now, ensuring our escape route. The SeaQuest ain't gonna know what hit them and then we'll be gone and we can put this all behind us."
--
The hallway was dark outside the science lab. None of the science officers were working the current late shift. So the area was basically deserted, except for the security detail that passed by every fifteen minutes. That was more than enough time for Chris to accomplish what she needed.
The next sentry passed by the entrance to the lab. The young ensigns assigned to security talked as they wandered, pulse rifles slung lazily over their shoulders. Their shift was quiet, it was always quiet. Chris watched them, cat like eyes hunting them even in the dark. They disappeared around a corner, their voices fading away.
Chris dropped down from where she had been hiding in the pipes above the corridor. She hung by her hands for a few seconds, then dropped, landing in a crouch on her toes. She moved quickly over to the door to the research lab, hugging close to the shadows thrown by the hatch. The control panel was backlit, casting a weak glow a few inches in front of it. Chris unzipped the small black bag that hung off one hip. Clenching a small penlight in her teeth, she went to work.
She had discovered a flaw in her original plan two days earlier. Although she could get into the lab simply using the access code she's seen Lucas enter, but once the research area had been closed for the day, the room's system came onto a separate security system. So essentially, getting in would be easy, diverting the silent alarms far more difficult. Chris however, was not easily deterred.
She carefully pried off the faceplate of the control panel, exposing a series of colored wires and a motherboard. She deftly hooked a set of alligator clips, attached to a tiny device, to the motherboard. She activated the device, rerouting the power to the secondary security system into her chip. Her brow broke out in sweat and she chewed nervously on her lower lip. She took a green wire between her fingers and blew out a deep breath. When she cut the wire either one of two things would happen. The alarms would go off, or she would successfully severe the security link to the door. Stryder snipped the wire with a set of cutters, holding her breath.
She waited, shoulders hunched, eyes half closed for a minute. She half expected a group of SeaQuest officers to burst out from around the corner, rifles drawn. No one came and she let out a relieved sigh, her entire body relaxing. As the sound of her pulse dimmed in her ears, she returned to the task at hand. Stryder carefully reattached the face plate of the panel, then punched in the access code. There was a slight hiss and the door slid open.
Chris went straight for the rear of the lab, where they stored the laser. Stored in a locked glass case, it was a simple matter to pick the lock. The prototype, smaller in size than a pulse pistol, fit snugly into her hip case. Then she went to the computers. She typed hastily, looking for the set of schematics she knew had to be there.
The screen blinked. Her eyes glinted curiously, backlit by the screen. She downloaded the laser's file onto a disk, tapping her fingers on the desk as she waited. The disk too she placed in her hip satchel, then wiped the hard drive of the schematic. Chris shut down the computer, looked around quickly to make sure there were no lingering signs of her presence, and fled for the door. She looked at her watch and smiled softly, three minutes to spare.
She paused by the door, her smiled wavering. Sure, she had accomplished what she had intended, but what was she giving up in exchange? The SeaQuest was the first place in a long time she felt safe. Lucas, a friend? She bit her lip and shook her head to clear her jumbled mind. Then, glancing furtively out the hatch, trotted down the aisle away from the lab.
"Here," Chris tossed the small hip pack to Levi. "You got what you wanted."
Levi sat up in his cot, taking the bag. He unzipped the pocket, withdrawing the prototype. "This it?" Chris nodded tightly. A slow smile spread over his face. He stood, slinking over to where Chris stood. He ran his hand over her bare arm, then brushed a strand of hair from her face. "That's my girl."
Stryder shuddered, smacking his hand away from her. "I am not your girl Levi. Just tell me when we're leaving."
His eyes clouded, darkening menacingly. His jaw tightened. "Two hours. Meet here. If you're late go straight for docking bay two. We will leave, with you or without you." He turned away from her then, back to his bed to inspect the laser. Chris headed right for her bunk.
--
Later, Stryder hurriedly stuffed a duffel bag with anything in the room she might be able to sell later. Then she emptied the closet, stuffing shirts and plants haphazardly in her bag without folding them. She barely glanced up from her frenzied packing when Lucas came in.
"I need to talk to you."
"I can't talk right now Lucas. I'm………busy."
"I can see that. Changing quarters?"
"Nope."
"Laundry then?"
"I'm leaving."
"What?" he asked, confused. "You can't leave."
"Watch me," she snapped. Stryder zipped the duffel, slinging it over her shoulder. Lucas stepped in front of her, blocking the door. "Get out of my way."
"No." He shook his head. "Not till you explain this to me first." He dropped a sheet of paper onto the bed. Chris' eyes traveled over it briefly, clouding as they read.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I can't."
"Can't, or won't?"
"Both, neither, you choose." She tried to move past him again, but he neatly stepped in front of her. "I can't Lucas. Move." Her voice dropped, low and menacing.
"You've been lying since day one, haven't you? Never given any of us a straight answer."
"You don't understand."
"Oh I understand plenty. I did some research on you Chris. I thought I could maybe find you a family member or something. Imagine my surprise with what I found instead. Your parents are dead all right, but they died when you were 13. And you only have one brother; you were separated in foster care. But that's not really what gets me. Do you know what gets me?" He nodded self assuredly. "You know. Your file Chris……… it says you killed someone. Explain that."
--
Captain Bridger set the report down in front of him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he let this newfound information sink in. He lifted his gaze to study the face of his chief of security. "Are you sure?"
Lieutenant Brody stood at attention, hands clasped behind him. "Yes sir. I'm certain sir." The Lieutenant was anxious, he hated playing waiting games. All he needed was for the Captain to authorize him to mobilize a unit. He'd be off like a shot getting it done. "I ran the check twice Captain."
"Are there any more details about the case?" Bridger questioned.
"No sir. It would seem that Miss Stryder disappeared almost immediately prior to the murder. Her foster parents were reported to believe that she ran before the authorities could get a hold of her. She dropped off UEO radar and hasn't come back on till now."
Bridger rubbed a palm over his jaw. "Anything else?"
Brody shifted from foot to foot. "yes sir." Bridger waited expectantly, eyebrows raised. "A few of the other refugees have criminal records as well. Levi for one, armed robbery, and assault. Charlie Hayes, booked just last year for stealing a car. Samuel Radley, computer fraud."
"But they're just children," the Captain muttered.
"Juvenile delinquents," Brody corrected without thinking. His face flushed. "I apologize Captain."
"It's all right, continue."
"It seems all these kids had police records, and at one point or another, they all vanished. The kid Charlie is actually listed as deceased in the UEO databanks."
Captain Bridger stood. "At ease Lieutenant. Something of a mystery on our hands here, eh Lieutenant Brody?"
"That's putting it mildly sir, to be frank."
"So what do you think the chances are that all these kids ended up here, outside UEO jurisdiction, on the same transport, at the same time?"
"Not very likely sir. May I suggest we go ask them?"
Bridger smiled thinly. "Now that sounds like a good idea. Find them. Round them up, contain them. We need to get some questions answered."
--
"I can't explain Lucas."
"Yes you can. Tell me Chris."
"I can't do it! Don't you get it? I can't!!" She was yelling now, red faced. Her hands shook at her sides as she screamed.
"Why can't you?"
"Because you don't want to hear what it is I have to say!! Trust me you don't want to know!"
"Yes I do! You killed him." She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"You killed someone."
"Yes."
"How could you?" he yelled. She dropped the bag, advancing upon him with raised hands, pressing him back into the wall.
"What? You really think you're in any way prepared to deal with what my life has been like? Yes, all right? I killed a kid. He was sixteen when I did it."
"And you're just okay with that?"
"No!!!"
"Then explain it to me!"
"He raped me," the words were barely a whisper.
"What?"
"He raped me!! Is that what you wanted? Did you really want to know? I was 13 and he raped me! So yes God damn it I killed the son of a bitch and I would do it again in a heartbeat."
"I.. .I.. ." Lucas stuttered, flabbergasted.
Chris continued her onslaught, voice rising to a fevered pitch. "He was the son of my foster parents. One night he came.. . I couldn't stop him. Should I stop now or do you want to know the rest? Do you want to know that this," she pointed to the scar above her eye, "this happened after I told my foster parents?"
She chuckled ironically. "He wore a really big ring on his right hand. And when I told him what his darling son had done he called me a liar and beat the shit out of me! Two weeks later they went out and left us alone. He came at me, but I fought back. We fell, we fell through the glass coffee table. Take a good look what it did to me!" She motioned at her arm, scarred from wrist to shoulder. "It shredded my arm. He was still on top of me, so I grabbed a shard of glass. I stabbed him." She sank down on the bottom bunk, tears streaming down her face. "Again and again. I had to make sure, make sure he couldn't hurt me anymore."
"I'm so sorry," Lucas licked his lips. His mouth felt like cotton.
"That's how I ended up in the mines, how we all ended up there, me, Levi, Sam. No one wanted us, but they'd sell to the highest bidder. I've spent the last 3 and a half years a slave. So when Levi started planning our escape it sounded like a damn fine plan to me." She took a shuddering breath, wiping at her eyes.
"Sounded like," she sniffed. "Life was hard, surviving. It changed us, all of us. But we all stuck together. We were okay together. But somewhere along the way Lucas it got messed up, Levi………he lost it. We were getting shipped out to a new site. We were gonna take over the transfer sub, hijack it and just disappear. Two of the guards died in the fight, but the pilot just gave up. Levi shot him in the back of the head. He's dangerous."
Lucas' face drained of color. "We need to get the Captain."
"I don't think so." Levi's voice from the doorway made them both start. Lucas spun and Chris jumped to her feet. The older boy raised a pulse pistol, aiming it between Lucas' eyes. "Figured I'd come check on you Stryder. Glad I did. Can't have you alerting anyone can I? It's time to go." He moved inside the door, staying back against the wall, gun still trained on Lucas.
"You first Chris, and no funny moves, or I swear I'll shoot him." Chris glared but went obediently for the hatch. "Now you," he ordered. Lucas nodded, moving stiffly. "We're going to loading dock two. The others are meeting us there. Quickly now."
The three teens moved quickly along the corridors of the SeaQuest. The others were waiting outside the docking bay, huddled down in a corner. Sam and Charlie stood over them holding rifles. Charlie stepped forward. "Two junior officers, unarmed."
"Good. We'll rush them. Charlie you take one, Sam take the other. I'll provide cover from the back. The rest of you head for the sub. Their transport isn't as roomy as our tug, but it's faster. Now you two," he nodded at Lucas and Chris, "don't make waves."
The small band of refugees burst into the docking bay. The two junior officers, wheeled. One sited the guns the kids held and reacted instantly, striking the alarm on his control panel. A wailing alarm broke out in the bay. Levi crossed the room in three swift steps, striking the officer to the ground.
Unfortunately for them, Brody and his security crew had been very near when the alarm went off. He and four others rushed to the docking bay. They positioned themselves at the entrance, protected behind the wall. "Charlie, Sam! Cover! Everyone else get on board!"
Charlie and Sam stood half way up the steps to the submersible. They responded obediently, firing at Brody's team. Levi grasped Lucas' collar and began to drag him back toward the sub. Chris winced every time a rifle shot went off. As they retreated back Brody's team advanced. "Let him go Levi!"
Levi let out a shot over Lucas' shoulder. "He's my insurance policy. He's coming. Sam, start the launch!" The younger kid nodded, shouldering his weapon and leaping for the control panel. "Behind you Chris!"
Levi's warning did not go unheeded. She dropped, lashing out with a foot. She swept one of the security officers off his feet. Then she jumped to her feet and planted the heel of her boot in the man's midsection. When she turned back, Levi had Lucas halfway up the stairs to the sub, firing shots off and using Lucas as a shield.
Suddenly SeaQuest personnel were swarming the docking area. His back turned, Sam didn't see an enlisted man come up behind him. She was momentarily torn, chest heaving, feet rooted in place, wanting to go after Lucas, but to protect Sam at the same time. Abandoning Levi, Chris rushed to his aid with a growl. Sam was wrestling for his rifle, but he was clearly outmatched. Chris launched herself into the fray, ripping Sam and the man apart. She landed a solid fist in the man's face. Sam stood, stone still. "Run!" Stryder ordered, teeth clenched. Sam wheeled, darting back up the stairs.
She managed to get the rifle back, but she didn't fire it. She used it instead as a club, swiping at the enlisted man. She struck him in the gut, and as he keeled over, drilled it into his back. He collapsed to the floor. Then there was a brilliant pain at the back of her skull. The rifle clattered to the ground and her knees bucked. She was on her knees, palms down on the cold floor. Her eyes swam, bright lights floating in front of her eyes. She was only dimly aware of the swarm of feet rushing around her. She thought she heard Brody's voice in the din. "Stop the launch!"
"Can't sir, they locked the sequence. I can't stop it."
"Shit!"
Footsteps approached where she lay. A hand grasped her upper arms and dragged her to her feet. Her head lolled to the right, knees feeling like rubber. She blinked, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them she attempted to meet Brody's glare. He activated his comm. "No sir, they hijacked one of the transport subs, we couldn't stop them. . . I have Stryder here sir. Sir that's not all. . . they have Lucas. . . . yes sir, we'll be right there."
Without another word, Brody pushed her forward down the aisle towards the Captain's quarters. Stryder just looked back over her shoulder, at the sealed docking bay, and her one chance at freedom that just passed her by.
Chapter 4