CHAPTER 16

KNOW THE ENEMY

Review Corner

longbowchris50: I know right? Fifteen chapters and all they did was yelling at each other. It's about time they find a common goal and work together.

The Colonel: I know you'll be up for the challenge.

Rose City,
Eastern Continent, Planet Zi,
February 19, ZAC 2129

For days Kenny and Dagonet tried to extract information about The Bridge, a hyperspace wormhole connecting Terra and Planet Zi, from the Zabat's memory core. But the Zabats were never exposed to the wormhole. They only recorded the 'gate', the energy surge to initiate the Faster-Than-Light travel. While the data was sufficient to regenerate the energy surge, the course was still missing.

So Dagonet requested a meeting with Laeta. Trying to avoid suspicion, they met at a restaurant assuming the role of two lovers that hadn't seen each other for a long time. They fell into tight embrace for a few moments, then traded pecks on the cheeks before walking hand in hand toward their reserved table.

"Is this necessary?" Dagonet whispered, questioning their elaborated stunt, but nevertheless enjoying the physical contact with the sultry, enigmatic Backdraft agent.

"My presence in the hangar aroused Khyron's suspicion," Laeta held Dagonet's hands close to her chest, but her eyes betrayed her loving gesture. "Two Backdraft agents, three tables east, moved to purpose by Khyron's words."

"Dispatched to follow us?" Dagonet stole a quick glance toward Laeta's suggestion, and saw two young men dressed in ties and suits, exchanging notebooks and computer tablets as if engaging a business meeting.

"Hot on my tail," Laeta exhaled sharply. "Eyes have lied upon them on past proceedings."

"Easily avoided," Dagonet suggested. "Let your words give life to my hands."

"And what do you think would be the result of such audacity?" Laeta snapped. "Khyron would burn upon himself, sending not only agents, but assassins. He is like a mad boar, charging at everything within reach. Best to let him think us fools."

"Burning with desire to see each other naked," Dagonet scoffed. "I believe it would spur Khyron's mind."

"Khyron knows of all my relatives," Laeta leaned back with a slight blush on her cheek. "Your face has not yet been revealed. A long-forgotten romance would deflate Khyron's alarm." She leaned forward to the table and brushed Dagonet's hands with her cheek. "Yet if heart is not moved, we must find a different sort."

"Plan is good," Dagonet quickly replied. It felt a little weird to disguise himself as Laeta's long-lost lover, but he wouldn't complain. She was of a beautiful specimen, with flowing red hair, emerald piercing eyes, and succulent breasts hanging on a curvaceous torso. He had a glimpse of those beauties a few days ago, and could only wonder how the rest of them would look like. Who didn't want to be her lover, even a fake one?

"Then proceed to business," Laeta took a quick glance at the two Backdraft agent in the distance, making sure they were still following her movement. "Did you extract anything of note from the Zabat memory core?"

"Minds fell to conjecture how to regenerate the energy surge," Dagonet leaned toward Laeta, giving an impression of passion. "Yet it was but the gate. What stands behind the gate still lies in the dark. The Zabats did not come close enough to record anything useful."

"The Bridge stands behind the gate," Laeta replied. "See the gate open like a flower and The Bridge shall reveal itself for the taking, wet and juicy like November Rain."

"Say it is so. How do we go through The Bridge?"

"Take zoids and thrust deep."

"Yours is but one with flight."

"Then see yours replaced with flying one."

"I fear our understanding of the matter is still newly born," Dagonet sighed. "Much may yet needed to see it matured. Both Globally 3 and the Terran ship Saskia encountered were built with purpose. Colossal structures of metal, with the breeding for interstellar travel. Zoids are of different sort. They were mere critters, constricted on the surface of Zi. They were not made to fall in hyperspace."

"Then Saskia stands condemned, fallen to space in between worlds."

"Perhaps, and I would not have us tread the same ground," Dagonet let out an exasperating sigh. "We need information of The Bridge, and what things survive the venturing of it before we see ourselves plunged. I have dispatched Kenny to plunder the library, but I fear his hands would bear nothing."

"You would see me procure more data from Backdraft!" Laeta snorted. "What fever grips mind, that Backdraft possesses such novelty?"

"Your words were 'Khyron is building The Bridge'," Dagonet whispered in her ear.

"Yet mind fails to account Backdraft agents as my shadows," Laeta whispered back. From the corner of her eyes she noticed one of the agents was carefully looking at her direction. "Fortune smiled upon us on our first stunt. Now that Khyron is alert, the plan is born of the impossible."

"I would not ask you to stand in harm's way," Dagonet squeezed Laeta's hands. "Aid me with a safe passage. Kenny and I will see it happens."

"There is no safe passage," Laeta drew a deep breath. "Khyron fills each gap with discerning ears, straining for whispers of betrayal. Set feet on Backdraft facility and see yourself seized and tortured for deeds you do not committed." She leaned forward, giving an impression of passionate whisper on Dagonet's ear. Yet her words were heavy with discomfort. "I told you, Khyron is a very dangerous man. Purge thought from mind."

"As you did with Saskia?" Dagonet replied bitterly.

"Do you not think a day passes that I am not consumed by it?" Laeta hissed. Dagonet's comment struck her at the most vulnerable spot. "My hands pushed her into The Bridge! Yet there is no path around Khyron, and standing tall against him is suicide. His hands are capable of things beyond humanity."

"And with every passing seconds, Saskia's life is drained from her veins," Dagonet whispered hoarsely. "I will not have it so. I will make attempt at Backdraft's database. Remove yourself from the matter, so far that if I fall, you would not hear my splat."

Laeta studied Dagonet's face, trying to see if it is love that moved the man. But she couldn't find a hint of passion in his face, only dogged determination. Jealous, she gripped his hands hard until her knuckles turned white. "Does love move hands?"

"I love her as a friend," Dagonet sneered. "I know her heart. She would have done the same for me. Or you."

"There is no safe passage into Backdraft facility," Laeta let out an exasperating sigh, "yet your chances improve with me."

"Along with Khyron's minions," Dagonet took a quick look at the two men, still busy talking to each other. "The mind of a woman. You talked improvement only to squash it against Khyron's wall."

"They are but a safety net to escape Khyron's wrath, should we fall in attempt." Laeta pulled up a card key from her purse. "I booked a hotel room. Be there at 8 tonight. If you see them, make sure the favor is returned." She rose from her chair, gave Dagonet a quick peck on his cheek, then took off.

Later that day, at around 8 at night, Dagonet walked toward the entrance of the hotel. He spotted one of Khyron's men he saw at the restaurant, sitting on a patio bench with a computer tablet on his lap. He made sure he drew the guy's attention, locking eyes for a brief second with him, before continuing inside the hotel. Inside he quickly spotted the other guy from the restaurant, flirting with the concierge. Like with the other one, he made sure he got the attention of the guy.

Dagonet still didn't know what Laeta was planning. He just hoped Laeta had a good reason for it.

Since he already had a key, Dagonet bypassed the check in and went straight to the elevator. From the corner of his eyes he saw Khyron's man broke contact with the concierge and walked toward the elevator, just as the door slid to a close. He waited until the cart stopped at the designated floor, then took the corridor toward the same number etched on the key card. He swiped the card at the door and busted into a room. Laeta was there waiting for him, wrapped in tactical black spandex.

"If there is a purpose for this shenanigan, lend voice to tongue," Dagonet dropped his duffle bag and took out a black pullover.

"I took leave early to rekindle passion lost in time," Laeta peeked outside from between the drapes. "Did they see you coming?"

"Would that they see sunrise every morning," Dagonet replied.

"We had them believe we fall to warm embrace all night," Laeta smirked. "Illusion shall tether their feet. A camouflage to deflate Khyron's suspicion."

"A smart gambit," Dagonet smiled as he put on his black pullover. "I should never doubt you."

"Then let us come to the matter at hand," Laeta slung a satchel over her shoulder.

"One moment," Dagonet halted her advance. "Take pause and let mind work. You do not have to do this. There will be no professional recourse with Backdraft past this point."

"I would not see the passing of a friend for Backdraft's ambition," Laeta jumped onto the bed and pushed open a panel on the ceiling. "Come, let us to business." She pulled herself up and started crawling on the small space between stories. Dagonet pulled the key card from the slot, making the room completely dark, and hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. He followed Laeta to the hole on the ceiling.

The path on the ceiling led them to a mechanical line, which in turn brought them to the mechanical room of the hotel. Draped in black, it was easy for the two to slip through the night until they were out of the building. Laeta led Dagonet to a bush half a mile from the hotel. Nobody followed them to that point. Behind the bush there was a buggy. Somehow Laeta managed to escape Khyron's men and prepared a buggy for their escapade, but looking at the way they did their job, it was not hard to pull such stunt.

The two jumped into the buggy and drove toward the Backdraft Eastern Front Facility. They took back roads to avoid contacts, but they could tell Khyron had tripled the guards since the day they infiltrated the facility. Sentinel zoids combed the vicinity as far as 2 kilometer radius from the facility, while Pteras swept the sky with their radars.

Laeta found a dark spot off the road to park. She put on a black ski mask for additional cover, then inched toward the facility on foot. Dagonet followed her closely, paying attention to the zoids that once in a while made way to their direction. But Laeta knew her way around Backdraft zoids, especially their patrol course. She led Dagonet to their blind spots, areas the zoids overlooked on their pattern. It took them a while to get to the facility, but in the end they arrived at the gate. Laeta swung by the gate and took the rear entry to the nearest building. She used a general code to open the door, a code used by janitors or technicians.

The two continued their way inside the building. At another corner there was a room with the light on. Two janitors were talking at the door. Behind them lied a desk with a monitor on top. Laeta pointed at the monitor, giving him a signal that it was his target. They waited for several minutes until the janitors decided to leave, leaving the room completely unattended.

Laeta and Dagonet dashed into the room. As Dagonet pulled out his portable computer, Laeta turned on the computer. "Everything is connected to Backdraft Main Database," she mumbled behind her ski mask. "You have 20 minutes to find path to repository and download files."

"I need but far less," Dagonet quickly worked on his computer. A thick firewall blocked his way, but he called a few subroutines to bypass the firewall without taking it down. Ten minutes passed without any progress, and Dagonet started to doubt if it he could beat the 20-minute mark, if he could overcome the firewall at all. But eventually, he broke through. Dagonet navigated through the web until he found what he needed and started downloading.

"We have but 3 minutes," Laeta whispered impatiently. "You said you needed far less!"

"I underestimated the thing," Dagonet replied. His computer sucked all the data with furious rate, but it was stored in different locations, forcing his computer to work slower than needed.

And suddenly, his worst nightmare came to realization. His computer froze in a loud beep. Then the entire building lit up in a muted red-siren flash.

"What?" Laeta shot a nervous stare at Dagonet.

"We are busted," Dagonet quickly disconnected the cable from his computer. "Hands are revealed."

"Shit! Move!" Laeta jumped out of the room. Dagonet put everything on his backpack and sprung to life, following Laeta in a high-speed sprint. They sprinted toward the way they came in but a few Backdraft soldiers had already congregated in front of it. She tried another way but the soldiers had spotted her, and raised their guns. Dagonet came from behind her and fired a few rounds. Two soldiers went down; the rest of them jumped behind crates and barrels and opened fire. Tongues of fire burst, illuminating the dark building, while rattling sound mixed with shouts from the soldiers, trying to get their friends to give them aid.

Dagonet cowered behind a metal post, ducking as low as he could while bullets whizzed and ricocheted inches away from his head. He was separated from Laeta, but before he could think of the worst, a forklift rolled by and charged the soldiers. The soldiers hammered the forklift with their bullets, but failed to stop it. It crashed onto the crates and barrels, forcing the soldiers to abandon their fortification in disarray. Laeta arrived and grabbed Dagonet by the sling of his backpack, hauling him up.

The crashed forklift drew attention from more soldiers. As they poured into the crash site, Laeta and Dagonet took another way to exit the building. They tried to take the route where they came, but Backdraft zoids had practically flooded the ground. Running out of option, Laeta dragged Dagonet toward the hangar, hoping to escape with a zoid.

The hangar was almost completely empty save for a few zoids under repair. Laeta sprinted toward a Zabat but suddenly Khyron's organoid blocked her path. The eyes lit up in emerald glory while the right arm unfurled, revealing a massive gun underneath its manica.

Laeta froze for a moment, knowing that there was no chance for her to escape Khyron's organoid, but Dagonet drew both guns and rained down a savage volley at the organoid. His armor-piercing bullets bored into the organoid's chest plate, stunning the 10-feet monster, giving the two intruders a chance to break out. Laeta skidded behind a Zabat's leg while Dagonet ducked behind a tool box, seconds before the organoid gun lit up in murderous pyre. A massive bullet storm swept the floor, forcing Laeta and Dagonet to cower as low as they could.

"What is that thing?!" Dagonet rattled his teeth under the saturated fire from the organoid.

"7.62-mm, full metal jacket, 600 rounds per minute!" Laeta yelled. "I will draw attention! See yourself out of here!"

"Have you lost mind?!" Dagonet cringed at the thought.

"I am a Backdraft agent! It will not make attempt at my head!"

"I would not see you harmed…"

"It is the only way! See the data safe, and Saskia along with it!" Laeta tore her ski mask and waved the cloth, trying to get the organoid's attention. The organoid stopped firing, and Laeta slowly walked out from behind the Zabat's leg. She realized it was a stupid move. Khyron would kill her because of this. But there was no other way. They were pinned, and if Dagonet didn't get out, everything they worked so hard would be wasted.

"Do not shoot," she raised her arm. "I am a Backdraft…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Dagonet burst from behind the tool box and fired his guns at the organoid's back. The armor piercing bullets tore the jet tanks at the back. A fireball erupted, throwing the organoid forward in a violent jerk. The organoid slammed into the Zabat's leg. A second explosion threw it behind, sliding on the floor until it crashed onto a pile of junks.

Laeta covered her head as she crouched next to the Zabat's leg. Dagonet grabbed her by the arm and coaxed her to stand, signaling that they had only a moment before Backdraft zoid started pouring in. He pointed up at the Zabat's cockpit. Laeta took the initiative, climbing the Zabat as fast as she could. As soon as she slipped into the cockpit, she punched in the code and the bat zoid screeched in submission. Dagonet climbed into the cockpit a few moments later. As soon as he sealed the hatch, Laeta took the Zabat out of the hangar, just as dozens of Backdraft zoids came in like a tidal wave.

"A reckless move to hit Khyron's organoid!" Laeta berated Dagonet as they escaped.

"Less so than standing tall on its crosshair absent protection!" Dagonet replied.

"I told you, I am a Backdraft agent. It would not have my head!"

"Not tonight, yet it will savor life for Khyron's malevolence in the coming days!" Dagonet pulled her hair to force her to look at him. "What would you have me do? Turn eyes from you? Condemn you to suffering?"

Laeta saw the gravity in his eyes, and knew that Dagonet was not about to let her take the fall. Backdraft was all about progress and achievements for the glory of the organization, and she never had somebody that regarded her more than the company's development, until now.

A long beep interrupted her musing, followed by proximity alert. Multiple Raynos appeared on her radar. "We have company," she stated. "Khyron wants blood."

"How far to intercept?" Dagonet asked.

"Five minutes," Laeta inspected her radar.

"Make it back to the hotel," Dagonet huffed briskly, "and let them chase ghosts."

"Notion well thought," Laeta smirked at the thought. She landed the Zabat on the top of the hotel with less than 1 minute ahead of the Raynos, then plotted a multi-Nav-point course around Rose City. "Follow the Nav Points, then return to base!" she instructed the Zabat before climbing out of the cockpit. "Go!" The Zabat screeched and took off, leaving her and Dagonet on the ground. A few seconds later half a dozen Backdraft's Raynos blasted the sky above their heads, following the Zabat in a hunting formation.

It was almost midnight when Laeta and Dagonet took the fire escape stairs back to their room. As soon as they went in, Dagonet took a peek at Khyron's man on the patio bench, still oblivious of what was happening under his watch. But seconds later a group of men arrived and summoned the man. He joined the crowd to get into the hotel.

"Tempest has not yet passed," he informed Laeta. "A mob just arrived, joined by the idiot on the bench."

"Khyron!" Laeta puffed a sharp breath. "His nose will not let go of my behind!"

"We have 30 seconds hence," Dagonet started to move again.

"No!" Laeta grabbed his arm instead. When he wondered what on earth she was doing, she unzipped her catsuit and peeled it off her body. "See our safety net well used!"

It took Dagonet a moment to respond as his eyes were glued to Laeta's full figure, without the barrier of her clothing. Her body was well toned, tightly wrapped under fair skin. And a pair of luscious breasts hung freely on her torso, taunting him to ravish them with reckless abandon.

But Dagonet pulled himself together and started taking off his own clothing. Laeta stole a glimpse at his body, and she swallowed hard upon the sight of his wide chest and ribbed abs. And when he dropped his pants, her breath got stuck in her throat. Her knees wobbled as she started losing support of her own body.

The ruckus outside the room brought their minds back from lustful dreams. They kicked their clothes under the bed and sneaked under the blanket just in time when the door blasted open and Khyron barged in with half a dozen soldiers.

"Ahh! Captain Saggaff… What is the meaning of this?!" Laeta coined a high-pitched panic as she pushed Dagonet off her and wrapped her naked body with the blanket.

"Laeta…" the scorching wrath in Khyron's eyes immediately diminished, replaced by uncomfortable awkwardness. "What uh… What have you been doing?"

"Captain, words are not needed in that regard," Laeta rose from the bed.

"Who is he?" Khyron turned to Dagonet. "What are you doing with him?"

"None of your concern!" Laeta put up resistance.

"Answer my questions or see yourself examined further in interrogation chamber!"

"He was my high school boyfriend! Fortune delivers us into each other's arms. We are making up lost time. Is there a problem, Captain?"

"Have you left the room?"

"Not since 8. Why do you put pressing concern upon my private life?" Laeta fabricated anxiety. "What is going on?"

Khyron shot a probing look at Laeta, then turned to the two guys that had been following her since the restaurant. They whispered something to him, but she could see from their body language that they confirmed her claim.

"See yourself clocked in at regular time tomorrow!" Khyron blurted, still with discomfort in his voice. "Press fortune and salary will be replaced by punishment!"

"Yes Sir," Laeta replied firmly. She waited until everybody exited the room, deadbolted the door, and turned off the light. She turned to Dagonet, flashing an awkward smile. "There is yet professional recourse with Backdraft. Khyron wants me back to work tomorrow. I leave home. The room is paid; you can stay as you wish."

She started walking toward the bathroom to change when Dagonet caught her hand.

"Then stay with me," he said.

Laeta looked into Dagonet's eyes, not knowing what to expect. "You ask the impossible. You barely know me."

"I don't want a relationship just yet," Dagonet sighed. "I merely want to know the pale shadow of the love you felt for your boyfriend. To spend the night not as a fake couple to escape punishment."

The truth was, Laeta wanted the same thing. Her life was nothing but masks to carry the banner of Backdraft Organization. She forgot how it felt to be human, until Dagonet reminded her of the old way. She dropped the blanket and wrapped her arms around Dagonet's neck. She pressed her breasts against his chest as he leaned over to kiss her soft, moist lips. The kiss was so passionate it made them freeze.

"One night," Laeta pulled back, painfully, to look deep into Dagonet's eyes. "Then we shall never speak of this night again."