COLONY SHIP 02, UR: RAUTH ROBOTICS
An overturned table. Bullet-riddled crates. A spattering of blood slowly drying on the pale tiled floor.
This was the aftermath of battle. That tentative period when you take stock of what you’ve gained and what you’ve lost. Of who’s still standing and who’s not. And, in the case of a certain ARKS colonel, how many friends and family members you managed to eliminate. But, as the dust began to settle, one thing became abundantly clear: she had failed. Again.
Aki01 bit her lower lip—a small gesture, hardly noticed by the soldiers around her. It was the only outward expression of frustration she allowed herself. Inside, however, she was in great turmoil. Her mind was racing, her emotions boiling. Despite her efforts to the contrary, despite everything, her sisters and friends had gotten away. Scurried off like rats into the night. As far as Aki was concerned, the entire operation was one giant, botched mess. She would have to explain this to her master, beg for his forgiveness…
Or was there a way to salvage things after all? A game of mental chess played out in her head. She calculated odds, probabilities, every conceivable move. In the end she came to a satisfactory conclusion. Yes, perhaps there was still time to turn things around. Her master was away on business for the next day or two. Aki could still make things right.
She stepped through the rubble left behind by the recent firefight. Her flowery coat swirled around her, its cheerful coloring a stark contrast to the black and red armor she wore underneath. As she walked, she passed three soldiers nursing non-critical wounds. The “non-critical” part was intentional, she knew. In fact, not a single member of her task force had been killed during the raid. Her sisters were still clinging to the belief, however naïve, that they could get through this without serious bloodshed. They were soft. And that softness would cost them.
From behind, Aki heard boots crunching over shards of glass and metal. She turned around. The boots belonged to Captain Arin Colton, her second-in-command on this mission. He looked tired and drained, but no less determined to find Akasha and bring her back safely.
“Any clue where they might be headed?” he asked.
“Nothing yet, Captain. They’ve covered their tracks well.”
“That’s a problem, isn’t it? You heard what they said in that recording. Your sisters are determined to fight and bring you down. They won’t stay hidden forever. They’re going to strike back—sooner, probably, than later.”
Aki’s gaze drifted across the room, to where a man in a white lab coat was seated on the floor. His hands were bound behind him with magnetic cuffs. His right thigh was bandaged with medical gauze. And his eyes… they were glaring straight at her like an unspoken accusation.
Aki smiled coldly back at Dr. Rauth. To Colton she replied, “Let them come.”
* * * * * * * * *
ARKS COMMAND TOWER
- 22 hours later -
“Say again, Control?”
Lieutenant Arkon heard the woman the first time, he was simply having a hard time believing it. If he didn’t know better, he would be tempted to think his audio sensors were malfunctioning.
“There is a rogue shuttle inside Command tower airspace,” the woman on the radio repeated. “It’s making passes over the building, sir.”
Arkon rushed to the nearest window and looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the errant craft. “How did it get so close? Why didn’t anyone try to stop it?”
“The ship is broadcasting the proper codes, which is why we let it approach, but it isn’t responding to our hails. Repeated attempts to contact the pilot have gone unanswered.”
The airspace above and around the ARKS Command tower was restricted to military craft only. Everyone knew that. It was a matter of security the ARKS took very seriously. Approaching ships were required to broadcast their identification and clearance codes… or get blasted from the sky. The fact that the shuttle had the right codes meant one of two things: either the pilot was ARKS, or the codes had been compromised.
“What is it doing now?”
“Just circling, sir, like I told you. It hasn’t engaged in any overtly hostile actions yet—wait, hold on. It’s… it’s diving straight for the roof!”
“Shoot it!” Arkon shouted fervently. “Shoot it down,
now!”
“Acknowledged, sir. Engaging turrets.”
Arkon couldn’t see the roof-mounted gun turrets from his current location on the tenth floor. He did, however, hear the faint roar of cannon fire as the guns unleashed white-hot fury on their target. Moments later he spotted a single craft high overhead, streaking downward with a massive plume of smoke and flames trailing after it. He watched through the window as the shuttle plummeted down, down, down, hurtling towards the ground far below. It was spiraling out of control and falling fast.
Then it blew. Five stories from impact—that is, five stories below Arkon—the shuttle exploded with a bright flash. The entire tower shook and groaned. Arkon planted his feet firmly on the floor to avoid falling over.
When it was over, a long moment of silence remained. Then Arkon composed himself and said into the radio, “Any escape pods?”
“None, Lieutenant.”
“Any other craft in the vicinity?”
“None.”
“Thank you, Control. Arkon out.”
He switched off the radio. Then he realized he had a promise to keep. He had told the colonel he would inform her of any suspicious activity, and this certainly fit the bill. He turned his radio back on. “Colonel Aki, this is Arkon. Are you there?”
Static. Then, after a few seconds: “This is Aki. What is it, Lieutenant?”
“A rogue shuttle, sir. It was making passes over the tower. Control just shot it down.”
“Yes, I felt the blast all the way from the detention block. Are there any survivors?”
“None, Colonel.”
A pause. “I want you to check my office. Make sure no one’s been in or out in the past hour.”
“Sir?”
“You heard me, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.”
The line went dead. Arkon knew better than to question his commanding officer. He headed for the nearest elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The door sealed shut and the lift began its sluggish ascent.
Fifty floors later, a chime announced his arrival. The door opened and Arkon stepped out into the hall. This was the executive floor, where Colonel Aki and the other high-ranking ARKS officers aboard
Ur were stationed. As such, the walls were higher and the corridors wider. The floor was furnished with stately red carpeting.
Arkon followed the corridor to the right and passed a security guard station. Strangely, there was no guard on duty. Arkon made a mental note to find out who was supposed to be manning the station and have them reprimanded. But that could wait. In the meantime, he continued down the hall towards the colonel’s office.
When he got there, he noticed one of the large double doors was slightly ajar. These doors weren’t automated, they opened the old-fashioned way with a handle and latch. Arkon took hold of the handle and pushed. Inside, the room was dark and quiet. Mostly. The only exception was a holographic computer screen hovering in the air above the colonel’s desk. Had she left it on?
He took a few steps into the room. The door squeaked shut behind him. From his right, an unexpected voice spoke up: “Lieutenant Arkon! You made it just in time.”
It was Colonel Aki’s voice. Confused, Arkon replied, “Colonel? What are you doing here?”
He turned to face his superior. And froze. There was something wrong, out of place. Her face was the same, but her body type…
“Wait, you’re not—” he began.
Then the taser struck him in the gut. There was a burning spark of electricity, and everything went black.
* * * * * * * * *
- A few minutes earlier -
She was the last one off the shuttle. The autopilot was already engaged; the only thing left to do was jump.
Rho looked down. Far below,
Ur’s densely-packed cityscape flashed past at breakneck speed, a psychedelic blur of grays and greens. The shuttle made one final pass over the roof of the Command tower. Rho gripped the sides of the open hatch, steadied herself, waiting for the right moment.
Now. She let go and the colony ship’s artificial gravity took over. It pulled her down like a metal anchor. Her blonde hair, long and loose, trailed behind her head as she entered freefall. The wind screamed in her ears.
The drop was about five stories—deadly for a flesh-and-blood being, but hardly a problem for a CAST. Rho hit the roof with as much forward momentum as she could manage, tucking into a roll to minimize the impact. She was back on her feet just in time to see the shuttle take a direct hit from a nearby gun turret. Flames erupted from its belly as its spiraled downward, out of sight.
There goes my savings, Rho thought with a sigh. She’d saved up several months’ worth of client order rewards to afford that ship. Hadn’t even finished paying it off yet. She only hoped the distraction would be worth it. Everyone in the Command tower would be focused on the burning shuttle, not the five people sneaking inside.
She joined the others outside the stairwell. There was still the issue of the security door to contend with. Fortunately they happened to have an ace in the hole: Luna.
“You saw Zero One input the code when you snuck in before, correct?” Aki02 asked her support partner.
Luna nodded in response. “One-nine-one-two-three-six,” she recited, ecstatic to be playing a critical role on a big mission like this.
Zero Two was about to enter the digits into the keypad when Irene suddenly spoke up. “Wait! How do you know the code hasn’t been changed since then? If you’re wrong and the alarm goes off, this is going to be a very short mission.”
“The code is changed every Monday morning. We haven’t used the alcoves since then, and Zero One doesn’t know Luna saw her enter the code. Therefore, she shouldn’t have any reason to change it.”
“Unless she’s being overly cautious,” Irene pointed out.
“I cannot rule out that possibility. But I know my sister, and do not believe she would spend the effort on such a seemingly low-risk safeguard.”
“What if she did it
precisely because you think she wouldn’t?”
“Girls, girls.” Rho stepped forward and put a hand on both women’s shoulders. “Look, we could go around in logic circles for days. Bottom line is, we don’t know anything for sure. We’ve already come this far; all we can do now is move forward. Am I right, or am I right?”
Everyone agreed, which made Luna chuckle. “What’s the world coming to when
Rho is the voice of reason in the group?”
If Rho were capable of blushing, her face would have turned bright red with embarrassment. “H-Hey! I don’t wanna hear that from
you, shorty! Keep it up and I’ll bop you on the head!”
“Go ahead and try,” Luna taunted her. “You’ll just end up hurting your hand on my horns.”
Paying no attention to the quarreling robots, Zero Two typed in the security code. One-nine-one-two-three-six. There was a heavy click as the door unlocked. She pressed the switch and it slid right open. No alarm, no guards, nothing.
“I guess you were right,” admitted Irene.
Zero Two waved everyone inside. “We’ll see,” she replied.
* * * * * * * * *
They stealthily descended the single flight of stairs. Once again, Rho brought up the rear. It felt like she was always bringing up the rear. She was the last one off the shuttle, the last one in the building. Was she destined to play a supporting role her whole life? Is that all she was good for?
As if sensing her insecurity, Aki03 addressed Rho in a low tone barely above a whisper. “Despite Luna’s teasing, she actually thinks quite highly of you. We all do. You’ve become very dependable lately, and I for one am proud to have you as a sister.”
Rho didn’t know what to say to that. She was suddenly glad to be at the rear of the pack—this way they couldn’t see the stupid grin plastered on her face.
Quickly but carefully, the five women exited the stairwell. The long hallway beyond it was deserted. The only sound to be heard was the muffled padding of feet over plush carpeting. To the left, a series of floor-to-ceiling windows provided a bird’s-eye view of the city. Sixty floors below, the burning wreckage of Rho’s shuttle was barely visible. There seemed to be a crowd of people milling about.
Looks like our little distraction was a big success, she thought.
They turned right at the junction. Halfway down the corridor, a security guard was rising to his feet. Irene aimed her tranquilizer gun and fired a dart into the man’s exposed neck. He didn’t even have a chance to make a sound. The guard wobbled as his feet turned to rubber beneath him. A moment later he was unconscious on the floor. Aki02 scooped him up like he weighed nothing at all and carried him the rest of the way to Zero One’s office.
Rho and Zero Three each grabbed a door handle. On the count of three, both Caseals pushed inward. The double doors opened, revealing a dark—and empty—room inside. Zero One wasn’t there. But then, they had expected as much.
They all filed inside. Rho shut the doors behind them. Aki02 set the unconscious guard down in a corner and bound his hands and legs. Meanwhile, Irene immediately made her way to the colonel’s desk and activated the computer terminal there. “Time to get to work,” she declared.
A holographic display flickered into existence above the desk. A standard startup screen followed by a password prompt. Irene’s fingers danced back and forth across the keyboard. A series of screens appeared and disappeared rapid-fire on the display. And just like that—
“Okay, I’m in,” Irene announced.
Rho was impressed. She was a fairly good hacker herself, but Irene was on a whole different level. Probably the best she’d ever seen. If they got out of this alive, maybe she’d ask the woman for a few pointers.
“Can you find the doctor and the general?” Aki02 asked Irene. “Rauth and Valias. I’m certain my sister is keeping them here. She wouldn’t risk sending them anywhere else.”
“Let me do some digging and see what I can find.” Once again, Irene went into action. A long list of file names and directories scrolled past on the display. The list got shorter and shorter as she narrowed down her search. A few seconds later, she was done.
“Found them,” she announced.
“Both of them?” asked Zero Two.
“Both of them. They’re in the detention block. Ken is being held in the low-security wing. Floor forty-four, cell D-sixteen. General Valias, however, is being kept in the high-security wing. Floor forty-five, cell A-two.”
“Are you able to access the cells from here? Disable the locks?”
Irene shook her head. “Unfortunately not. They’re designed that way to avoid outside hacking. No way to open them except by going there in person.”
Aki02 looked dismayed but no less determined. Irene quickly added, “I can, however, get you the code to unlock Ken’s cell. Give me another second here.”
Tap-tap-tap. Irene worked her magic for a third time and a series of numbers appeared on the screen. “Here we go. Cell D-sixteen. The code is five-one-one-four-three-eight-eight-three.”
“That will unlock the doctor’s cell? Just like that?”
Irene smiled. “Just like that.”
“What about Valias? Is his code in the computer as well?”
“Getting the general out is going to be… a bit trickier. As I said, he’s in the high-security wing. It’s going to take more than a cell code to get to him.”
“What
is it going to take?”
“More than we’ve got, I’m afraid. According to this, you need to go through a retinal scanner just to enter the cell block. Then you need a key card and fingerprint ID to deactivate the force field protecting the cell itself.” She scratched the side of her head. “You could pass the retinal scanner no problem, seeing as you’re identical twins. But I can’t fake the key card. As for the fingerprint ID, well…”
Aki02 glanced down at her metal fingers. Of the three Aki sisters, Zero One was the only one with a human-like body. The only one with actual fingerprints. Which meant they were out of luck. “There’s no way to override it?” she asked.
Irene shook her head. “I doubt it. Wouldn’t be very high security otherwise, right? It’s virtually impossible to hack, impossible to override. In fact, the only other way you could possibly get in would be…” She trailed off. Then her eyes widened in realization.
“Irene?” asked a concerned Zero Three.
“The only other way in,” Irene started slowly, “would be to cut the power to the entire cell block. That would definitely kill the force field. You wouldn’t have to worry about the scanner or the key card, either.”
“Great,” exclaimed Aki02. “You can cut the power, can’t you?”
“I can, but not from here.” Irene brought up a schematic of the Command tower as she talked. The entire building was shown in wireframe with a thick red line running up its spine. That line branched out into many smaller lines at varying intervals. The overall effect looked like tree roots winding through the tower.
“See this red line here?” Irene traced one of the many branches with her finger. “This is the main power line feeding the detention block. I can shut it off… but only from the breaker panel.”
“And where is that?”
“In the generator room,” she replied. “In the basement.”
Silence. Everyone present knew her proposal was dangerous, not to mention a considerable trek. The basement was a long, long way down, especially since they couldn’t use the elevators. Not without attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Still, what choice did they have?
“I can go,” volunteered Zero Three. “I’m more familiar with the building layout than you are.”
“No, I’ll do it,” Irene insisted.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yeah. If there’s any problem down there, I can take care of it.”
Aki02 stepped forward. She glanced at each of them in turn. “Alright, it’s decided. Irene, you head to the basement. Luna, I want you to find the general’s cell and wait there. When the power goes out, you have to get him out of here safely, understand? Zero Three and I will rescue the doctor.”
“What about me?” asked Rho, hoping she wouldn’t be assigned some sort of menial task.
“You have perhaps the most important job of all.” Zero Two rested her hands firmly on Rho’s shoulders, letting the weight of her words sink in. “I need you to locate our sister. We have to find Zero One and stop her, or this will never be over. Find her, and when you do, activate this.”
Aki02 pressed a small, cylindrical device into Rho’s hand. “It’s a homing beacon,” she explained. “Once you activate it, we’ll come running.”
“You know I want to help, but… how exactly am I supposed to find her? This place is, like, totally massive!”
“You’re an infiltration unit. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Rho considered that. She could try searching Zero One’s terminal for clues, maybe look for an itinerary, but there was still one major problem: familiarity. Or in this case, her lack thereof. That was a big disadvantage right out of the gate. She was the wrong person for the job. Someone with more knowledge of the building and Zero One’s habits would be better suited to the task. Someone like…
Of course! Rho nearly smacked herself for her own stupidity. In a situation like this, lack of knowledge was never a deterrent. Not for her. She turned to Zero Three, a sheepish grin creeping across her face. “Oh, sister dear! About the mission… Think you can do me one
teensy little favor?”
Zero Three cocked her head to one side, her expression blank. “Of course. What do you need?”
“Nothing major, really. Just thought you might lend me a helping hand or, y’know… body?”
* * * * * * * * *
A few minutes later, Zero Two and Zero Three were on their way to the forty-fourth floor. They had to take the stairs—couldn’t risk the elevators. It was a tedious hike, undertaken mostly in silence. Several times, Zero Three caught her sister stealing furtive glances in her direction.
“You wish to say something?” she finally asked.
“No, nothing important. Just…” Zero Two trailed off. The hint of an amused smile tugged at her lips. “You make a good blonde, sister.”
Zero Three rolled her green eyes and kept walking. Switching places with Rho had been an easy transition—physically, at least. They had identical body types, the only difference being their arm and head parts. So physically, it was an easy swap. A minor adjustment. The hardest part would probably come later, from the jokes she would have to endure afterward.
But right there and then, that was the furthest thing from her mind. Because right then she was focused on busting the doctor out of prison. “We’re almost there,” she said in Rho’s voice.
Zero Two nodded solemnly. The time for joking was past.
After descending sixteen flights of stairs, they had finally reached the door marked number forty-four. Zero Two readied her twin machineguns. Zero Three steadied her rod. Together they burst through the door and charged down the long corridor. They dispatched the pair of guards outside the cell block with relative ease. Snuck inside and hid the bodies. Then they made their way to cell D-twelve.
Rauth looked up as they approached. His eyes were red, like he hadn’t slept. As soon as he saw the Akis he jumped to his feet and started shouting. At least Zero Three assumed he was shouting, because there was no sound coming from his mouth at all. Probably had a noise-cancelling device installed inside his cell. It kept prisoners from making a ruckus while the force field was active.
Whatever he was saying, it seemed to be urgent. “Don’t worry,” Aki02 reassured him. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
She stepped over to the wall-mounted keypad and input the code Irene had given her. Instead of deactivating the force field, however, something else happened. Both Akis were instantly pulled to the ground by a powerful gravity field. Their bodies were held tightly in place, unable to lift even a finger. It was only then, as Zero Three lay pinned to the floor, that she realized what Dr. Rauth had been shouting: “trap.”
From out of nowhere, half a dozen soldiers rushed in to surround them. Half a dozen rifles were aimed in their direction. The lead soldier pulled out his radio and thumbed it on. “Colonel Aki? We’ve captured two of the intruders.”
Zero Three could faintly make out her sister’s voice coming through the radio speaker. “Good work,” Aki01 told him. “Keep them under guard until I arrive. If they try to escape… shoot them.”
The radio clicked off.
Escape? thought Zero Three.
We can’t even move!
The situation seemed dire. She only hoped Luna and Irene were having better luck…
TO BE CONTINUED
Originally Posted by AIDA
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