Only Shadows Ahead
Chapter Six
"We rollin' on 'em or what?"
Wheeler stood against a pier; his arms folded and a look of annoyance on his face. Back-up had arrived and several vehicles had pulled in with uniformed officers. They were currently taking positions in strategic places throughout the dock, ready to board the ship and make arrests.
Ma-Ti shook his head and glanced in the direction of the officer in charge: a portly man with thinning hair who was currently waving his arms around and looked anything but in control.
"No. They want us to stay away."
Wheeler scoffed. "Then why the hell did we come here? Drag us all the way out here to be observers?"
"They probably think they have it under control," Ma-Ti said, watching as the teams started descending on the cargo ship. "They are trained professionals."
"It's Sludge," Gi replied, the disdain evident in her voice. "The man's not going down without a fight… unless Cap is involved, that is."
Wheeler smirked. "Yeah. Folds like an accordion whenever the blue guy starts telling jokes."
"I think we all do," Gi muttered. She smiled, crossing her arms against the chill as she turned to Ma-Ti. "Have you heard from Kwame and Linka?"
"Yes. They're tracking down the money trail. Sludge will definitely have a buyer lined up."
"Our resident hacker on the case," Wheeler said, keeping his eyes trained on the cargo ship. The last of the officers had disappeared onboard. "She still pissed about my little sleepover last night?"
"No. She's fine."
"I was kinda disappointed," he said, giving Gi a cheeky grin. "I was expectin' pillow fights, naked mud wrestling. You know… all the stuff girls do together in bed at night."
"You just wanted to snuggle, tough guy," Gi shot back. "You had Linka wrapped up tighter than a pile of presents on Christmas morning."
Wheeler winked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back against the pier again. "Yeah, what can I say? I'm a self-confessed cuddler."
"I would have given you a cuddle," Ma-Ti said quietly, a sly smile on his face.
"No offence man. I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way."
"Neither do I, my friend," Ma-Ti laughed. "But the offer is always there."
Gi held her hand up and they calmed, peering in the direction of the cargo ship. A loud bang issued from the upper deck, followed by a peppering of what sounded like fire crackers. Shouts followed.
"Yeah. I think that's our personal invitation to crash the party," Wheeler said. He nodded towards the ship and the three Planeteers sprinted towards the empty gang plank.
"I don't care, we're casting off! I've got 1.8 million bucks tied up here and I'm not gonna' let a bunch of redneck hicks stop me!"
Sly Sludge was sweating profusely. He hauled his large frame over the metal handrail and scampered below deck, pushing past several of his crew-members. A pistol was gripped tightly within his grubby fingers and he removed the safety, cursing under his breath at the unwelcome visitors who had stormed the ship.
He'd honestly thought he'd gotten away with it. The software he'd purchased from Blight a few weeks ago allowed him to keep one step ahead of law enforcement. He'd been alerted to the impending arrival of the investigation team back in Prudhoe, courtesy of the APB broadcast requesting assistance. His men had been ready for them.
Like lambs to the slaughter, Sludges mercenaries had hidden themselves away and dispatched them in a hail of bullets while the rest of the crew had drained the wells.
Blight's software had also picked up the alert issued regarding a sting operation about to get underway in Valdez, and Sludge was under no illusions about what that was regarding. They'd had a 20 minute head start and the hail of gunfire trained on the unsuspecting agents had been most satisfying.
A shout issued from behind Sludge and he turned, glaring at his second in charge: a tall, weedy man named Russo with a scar running down his left cheek.
"Engines are powering up, boss," Russo said, flinching as a bullet ricocheted off the metal close to his head. Sludge shot back and the uniformed officer went down, clutching his stomach. Russo breathed out, relieved. "We're heading out to sea."
"Good. Keep it that way."
"What do we do with them?" he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the fallen officer.
"Toss em' overboard when we're in open water. Don't care, really," Sludge barked. With that, he continued his wheezy lunge upstairs towards the bridge, shouldering the door open and stumbling inside. The area was empty and he hurried towards the back, towards the small table that housed his briefcase and laptop computer.
Only the laptop wasn't there anymore.
Linka slipped into the utility room unnoticed, closing the door quietly behind her. Her breath caught as more gunfire erupted somewhere below. Her nerves were fraught, but she did her best to push the concern from her mind. Kwame had disappeared at the first sign of gunfire, intent on helping out and leaving Linka to navigate Sludge's files alone.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Linka opened the monitor and turned the computer on, waiting for the system to boot up. The door creaked behind her and she twisted, raising her ring in fright.
"Wi…"
"Whoa!" Wheeler yelled, holding his hands out in a gesture of good will. "Just me."
"Wheeler, I nearly…" she muttered, lowering her hand. She watched him close the door before sinking down to the floor beside her. "How did you know I was here?"
"Ma-Ti," he explained. "He's calling in help. Local exchange is down, no phone calls are getting out. Convenient timing…"
Linka frowned, recalling a previous eco-alert. "That is not the first time emergency services have failed, lately."
"Well, they'd better get their asses in gear or we'll be half-way to China by the time they catch on."
Her face lit up in the darkness as the monitor blinked to life, displaying a password screen. Wheeler watched with raised eyebrows as Linka reached down between her breasts and pulled out a small object, before sliding it into the USB port.
"Hmm," he said, tilting his head to the side and grinning at her. "Remind me to come back as your flash drive in my next life, babe."
"Are you planning on practicing Buddhism, Yankee?" she teased, keeping her eyes trained on the lines of coding that had replaced Sludge's start screen.
"I'm willin' to try anything if it means getting better acquainted with the twins," he laughed, peering over her shoulder as her graceful fingers began typing commands into the screen. "Knowing my luck, I'm more likely to end up reincarnated as a wad of chewing gum under your boot."
"Da. Under my heel would be a good start for you." She grinned, biting her lip as Sludge's files were easily accessed. "He is selling the oil to someone in Europe. I have an email trail."
"Cool," Wheeler said, glancing back towards the door as a flurry of footsteps passed the room they were holed up in. He pushed himself to his feet, standing guard and ready to act in case anyone forced their way through. "Sludge isn't going down without a fight."
"Hmmm," she replied, not really paying attention to her team mate. She made a small sound of disgust. "Ugh. He watches a lot of videos… with naked ladies."
"Man's only human," Wheeler replied with a grin.
Linka shot him an amused look, tutting quietly under her breath. "Degenerate."
"Yep."
"All right. I have emails, phone logs, bank statements," she mused, scrolling down to a folder with a notation. "I can see... wait a minute?"
"What?"
She frowned, peering closer at the screen. "SAIP 1.7…"
More gunfire began and Wheeler crouched down beside Linka, looking more nervous than he was comfortable with. A loud bang came from just outside the door and an alarm began to drone. "Babe… might be a good idea to hit the road."
"Wait," she murmured, entering the file directory. Her eyes widened as she took in the complex algorithms and codes, scanning the contents of the program with mounting horror. Her hands left the keyboard, watching as the monitor filled with thousands of tiny numbers, swirling and ebbing like waves. It was beautiful.
"Wheeler, this coding is embedded within everything here… evolving on it's own… almost as if it is self…"
"That's fascinatin', babe," he murmured, grabbing her bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "Seriously, think we'd better —"
"The complexity... it is staggering, I have never seen —"
"Yep. Great. Gotta go," he grunted, grabbing her under the arms. An explosion sounded, followed by screams and Linka flinched in fright, her hands still outstretched towards the keyboard. Wheeler hauled her upright and she gave a high-pitched huff as he set her back on her feet again. He gripped her hand and tugged her alongside him. "We're about to have company."
"Wait," she gasped, dragging him back and bending down to pick up the laptop. She shoved it under her arm, leaving her ring hand free as Wheeler pulled her towards the door. "I am taking this with me."
"Christ," he muttered, noting the resolute line of her jaw as she wedged it tightly against her side. "Well, you're carryin' it."
The door handle jiggled and he shoved Linka roughly against the wall as two of Sludge's men burst through with guns.
"FIRE!"
Wheeler made easy work of the weapons, liquifying them at high heat while the stunned men bellowed out in pain. He shoulder-barged his way through them, using his ring to melt the lock and seal them inside.
"C'mon," he said, eying the way out cautiously. Wheeler squeezed her hand, leading Linka out into the corridor beyond. "Let's go find Señor Sludge."
"I was home free!" Sludge roared. The man was bound in handcuffs and leg restraints, his face bright red with rage as he glared at Kwame, Gi, Ma-Ti and the lead officers. "Woulda' gotten away with it if you planet-pukes hadn't interfered!"
"Keep telling yourself that," Gi muttered under her breath.
He snorted, fixing them with a belligerent stare. "I would have. Blight's given me the.."
"Given you what?" Kwame asked, stepping forward and staring him down. Sludge struggled against the two officers holding him before shutting his mouth, looking away sullenly.
"Nothin'," he muttered, watching as his men were rounded up and escorted from the bridge, heading towards the waiting coast guard. Equipment beeped and buzzed in the background, interrupted only by the shuffling noises made as the injured and dead were carried downstairs towards the outside deck. The whirl of a helicopter propeller blanketed the ship as Wheeler and Linka entered the bridge.
Kwame breathed a sigh of relief. He'd lost track of them.
"Hey, that's mine!" Sludge roared, struggling against his restraints and glaring at Linka. She shrunk back, clutching the equipment close to her chest. "You give that back, bitch!"
"Call her that again, asshole. I dare you…" Wheeler threatened through gritted teeth, moving forward with clenched fists. Linka placed a warning hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.
A uniformed officer grabbed Sludge by the shoulder and turned him around, steering him towards the door. The Planeteers watched him shuffle slowly courtesy of the chains around his feet.
"See ya round," he muttered, smirking. "I'll be out before Christmas - plenty of time for the Lifetime movie to be filmed."
"What, you mean World's Dumbest Criminals," Wheeler shot back, crossing his arms as Sludge descended the stairs and disappeared from view. "Moron."
"Miss, I'm going to need to take that as evidence."
Linka blinked, not noticing that a plain-clothes detective had approached her and was waiting expectantly with his hands out. She glanced at Ma-Ti, her eyes wide and pleading.
Ma-Ti nodded. After a moment the detective stepped back, shaking his head slightly of the haze that had invaded his brain. He turned and walked out without his request, leaving Linka sighing with relief.
"Spasiba," she said, smiling thankfully.
"You're welcome. Where have you guys been?"
"I've been dodging gunfire while this one was shoppin' for an upgrade" Wheeler said, jacking his thumb in Linka's direction.
She frowned, glancing down at the computer. "I wanted to take a look. I found something on here…"
Kwame nodded. He sighed wearily, making his way onto the main deck with his team mates following close behind. They filed out slowly, watching on as Sludge was loaded onto a heavily-filled helicopter. It lifted into the air and took off, heading back towards the mainland and passing the coast guard ship that had just cast off; it's blue lights flashing.
"Uh, guys…" Gi said, noticing for the first time that they were in open waters. She sat down on the edge of the ship, dangling her legs over the side and peering out into the distance. "Have they just left us here?"
"God-damnit," Wheeler muttered, wandering off towards the bow of the ship as frustration coursed through his body. He kicked a shell casing across the surface and disappeared behind the cargo bay. "Typical."
"They are coming back," Ma-Ti called after him. "There was no room for us."
Linka sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears as she sunk down beside Gi. The ocean air was cold against her face and she zipped her jacket up. Booting the laptop back up again, she began to explore.