The Enclave (The Verge) (18 page)

They’re not even trying.
  Katherine slid to a halt as she neared the barriers and was still under Tom and Joshua’s cover fire.  She leaned the butt of the assault rifle into her shoulder and waited.

An armored hand and rifle showed itself above the barrier and Katherine took aim.  Her shots slammed into the barrel of the rifle and the weapon shattered in its user
’s hand, the shrapnel causing the owner’s shield to flare green as it was hit.  She then darted up against the other side of the riot barrier as the three remaining guns predictably returned fire down the corridor.

There was some hard swearing from the owner of the destroyed gun followed by a hurried conversation that Katherine could not hear clearly.  The only words she did hear was ‘Two’ and ‘not here.’

They don’t know I’m here.
  Katherine gripped her assault rifle and quietly drew her auto pistol. 
A reverse roll through the gap between the two barriers and fire both weapons into them before they realize what is happening.

‘I’m going in.  Boys draw their attention.’

‘We’re on it.’
Tom’s voice came over the Tac Net.

As she moved closer to the gap, Katherine saw Tom and Josh duck out from their cover and let off a few rounds over the barrier before ducking back in again.  One pistol behind the barrier returned fire, but that was not what caught Katherine’s attention.  There was a muffled clunk followed by a grunt and the sound of someone hefting an unwieldy object.

“Are you insane?”

Katherine heard that clearly and agreed with the sentiment if the noises she heard tallied with what she though
t were being readied.

“God damn it.  Just load it.”

Katherine looked down the corridor and gave Tom the gesture to retreat back up the passageway.  She then readied herself.

Katherine slid backwards into the gap and then reverse rolled through it, coming to a stop with both weapons raised and firing at the men stationed behind each barrier.

The four were caught completely off guard.  The rate of fire from the assault rifle enabled the bullets to rip through the Kinetic Armor of the two men on the right and then slammed head long through the physical armor itself before penetrating flesh.  The two did not stand a chance.

The auto pistol was not as successful.  The two men on the left were in the process of loading a small grenade launcher.  The man loading the launcher took the brunt of the pistol magazine; his shields barely put up a fight before failing under the barrage of fire.

Staring in surprise as his comrade fell, the last man standing swung the grenade launcher around to aim it at Katherine.  She squeezed the trigger and found her auto pistol running on empty.

Shit.

A smile formed under the man’s helmet visor as he aimed the launcher squarely at Katherine’s chest.

She leapt to her feet and rushed the man, ramming her armored shoulder into his groin region just as he jammed his fingers on the trigger.  Both of them slammed back against the wall; and the launcher did not activate.

Instead the soldier bought the large grip of the launcher crashing down onto Katherine’s back.  She grunted with the impact; powered kinetic shields were not designed to handle hard, physical combat.  But her body armor was.

Katherine shot her slim form between his arms as he raised the launcher again and smashed her helmeted head into his unprotected nose and mouth.  There was a crunch and a surprised gurgle and then the weapon clattered to the ground as the man staggered back clenching at his ruined face.  She heard a faint whining sound and a splash of blood appeared at the soldier’s neck.  The man slumped lifelessly to the ground.  Katherine looked up the corridor in time to see Tom lower his rifle.

“Thanks.”

“You’re Welcome.”

The launcher was at her feet.  She picked it up and checked it.

“Nice toy,” Tom said as he and Joshua stepped through the barrier.

“Thanks.  See what you can scrounge from these guys.”  As she spoke, Katherine saw the reason for the launchers misfire.  The hurried loading of the launcher had caused the grenade to be wedged in the barrel. 
Amateurs
.  She placed the weapon back on the ground and scooped up three grenades and clipped them to her belt.  She then loaded fresh magazines into her auto pistol and rifle.

“Steve.  Report”

‘Skipper.  We have secured the area, do you wish us to use the lifts to go down to the next level?’

“
Yes, but wait until I give the signal before
you do-”

“Grenade!” Joshua’s yell cut through Katherine’s comms as she saw a small black grenade roll down the corridor towards them.

“Move!” Katherine called and the three dived behind the thick metal plates of the riot barriers.  They heard the metallic roll come to a stop and there was a split second of silence.

And then the grenade exploded.

The metallic hum of hundreds of pieces of shrapnel hitting the re-enforced steel of the barriers echoed loudly around them, quickly followed by gunfire.  Clouds of dust and grit billowed around them; Katherine looked at her HUD.  The door to the rear of the map was now open and she mentally kicked herself for thinking she could ignore the room.  The place was being used as a guard post.

“
Steve, the reinforcements have arrived.  Have you encountered any resistance?”

‘Affirmative.  We have gunfire.  Was that an explosion I just heard?’

“They have grenades and they aren’t afraid
to use them.  So be aware.”

‘Yes Ma’am’

The sound of rifle fire spat over the Tac Net from Steve’s position.  Joshua and Tom were only returning fire whenever their opponents showed themselves.  They were conserving their ammo.  Katherine was tempted to toss a grenade back at them but she did not know how close Steve and his people were around the octagonal bend of the corridor.

“What is it with grenades?  Do people usually throw grenades at you?” Joshua said as he let loose a few rounds at a body who had ducked too far out from their cover to fire at them.  The gunfire abruptly stopped in a gasp of pain.

“No.  They normally just shoot at us,” Tom replied.  “Kath, what are we going to do?  We can’t just sit here.”

“I’m thinking-” then,
“Steve, do you have an accurate count on the number of hostile bodies?”

‘Negative.  We also haven’t had any grenades thrown at us either.  I’ve noticed that they
try to avoid any concentrated fire near Varden.  They’re treating her like a protected species.’

“Varden?”
  Then it struck her.  Varden, who was the only other woman in their group.  And 56’s brief warning came back to her
.  ‘Be careful 72.  They are expecting you.  And they want you alive.’
  A wicked grin spread across her face. 
So they want me alive.  That just makes my job a whole lot easier.

Unslinging her rifle, Katherine looked through the gap in the barrier.  The guards were still sending sporadic gunfire their way, at least there were no more grenades coming at them.

Katherine switched her comms to a private link.

“
Tom, are you able to speak to Varden – Ontolic to Ontolic?”

‘Never tried, but I should be able to.  Why?’

“Just try it now.”

Tom’s brown eyes drilled into Katherine’s own but she only felt half the presence they usually bring.  The next moment she felt the full weight of his gaze.

‘Yes, I can speak to her.  What are you up to Kath?’

“You’ll find out.”

Katherine flicked her comm. Back to the Tac Net.

“
Steve, I want you and your crew to pull back to the front entrance and wait outside.  I want you to stay there until Varden hears from Tom.”

‘Yes Skipper.’

“Report in to me when you arrive.”

‘Yes Skipper.’

She then turned to Joshua.  “I want you to go with them Josh.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I have my brother.”

“You’ll go where I tell you Josh, or I’ll have Steve come around here and drag you out,” she said through clenched teeth.  No one argues her orders, not even Tom.  “Do you understand me?”

Joshua glared at her and then nodded.  “I understand.”

“Then go.  And take these with you.”  Katherine pushed her gathered grenades into his hands and turned away.  She did not watch him leave.  She had her full attention on what was going on around the bend.

“He’s gone,” she heard Tom say just as he let fly with a few more rounds down the corridor at the guard who had edged out too far while firing.  He then dropped back behind the barrier.  “I just want you to know that if whatever you’re about to do gets me killed, then I will be haunting you for the rest of your natural life.”

“Thanks for that vote of confidence Tom.”

“Anytime Kath.  Anytime.”

‘Skipper, we’re here.  And the Val Myran just joined us.’

“Good, Steve.”
Katherine paused a moment before adding.  “Tom and I might lose our connection to the TacNet, so only act on orders relayed to Varden via Tom.  Acknowledge.”

‘Acknowledged Commander.’

More bullets whizzed overhead and Tom rose to return fire.  Katherine pulled him back down.

“Stop your fire Tom.”

“What?”

“And just go
along with whatever happens.  If you hear me say to you at any time ‘Goodbye’, or if I’m unable to speak at all, contact Varden and tell them to get their arses down here.”

“What the hell are you up to Kath?”

“Just promise me that you will do what I ask.”

“Of course I will-”

Katherine rose quickly to her feet, effectively cutting off the rest of Tom’s words.  Her shields flared blue as the next round of gunfire ricocheted off it to slam into the stone wall.  She raised her hands high above her head, the assault rifle dangling unthreateningly from her hands.

The gunfire suddenly stopped and Katherine saw four men appear from around the corner; guns all trained on her.  Tom placed his weapon down and rose to his feet, his hands placed firmly on his head.  His eyes did not move from Katherine’s face, she could feel his gaze drilling into her as if already blaming her for what will come.

The guns momentarily swung to Tom before their aim was evenly spread between them.

“My name is Katherine Kirk,” her voice rose as the men approached them.  At the mention of her name they stopped.  “I want to speak to whoever runs this place.”

“Throw down your weapons and remove your helmet for visual confirmation of your identity,” one of the men said.

Katherine slowly moved her arm and tossed her assault rifle towards them.  Her auto pistol and wrist knife quickly followed it.  She then slowly thumbed the release clasps and slipped her helmet from the gorget and pulled it from her head.

There was another moment of silence before the man spoke again.  “Identity confirmed.”

There must be cameras around.
  Katherine looked about the corridor but could not see any sign of them; but they had to be there.

A gun turned towards Tom.  “You.  Drop your weapons.”

Tom kicked his rifle and pistol away from him.  It was then that two of the men came forward and expertly secured his arms behind his back with plascuffs.  The remaining two approached her cautiously.

I didn’t think I was that scary.
  But Katherine took a childish pleasure in their fear.  And they
were
scared of her.  The fact that they kept their guns aimed at her with their fingers on the trigger told her that.  She must have made quite an impression on the Alliance when she took out Yunga.  Another’s fear can be used against them.

“I want to speak to whoever’s in charge,” Katherine repeated as she held her arms close behind her back to make it easier for the men to handcuff her.  The man in front kept his gun trained on her.

Once the cuffs were on the men relaxed a little, their barrels not aimed at her chest but close enough to take her down at a moment’s notice.

“Doctor Barkley wants to see you as well.  We’d better not keep the Doc waiting.”

Chapter

Twenty

Hyde was not in charge.  A Doctor Barkley was.  But that still doesn’t rule out that Hyde is here, I just have to know for sure. 

They were escorted out of the elevator with three guards on her and one on Tom.  Katherine was amused by the guard’s presumption that she was the bigger threat, if they knew that Tom was an Ontolic then it might be a different matter.  The Alliance hated Ontolics with a passion that bordered on lunacy.

They had dropped three floors to the fourth level or what Katherine would call the basement level.  She also knew exactly what would meet them when they arrived.

The corridor that the lift opened upon was similar to the floor they had just left.  With one exception.  Instead of leaving the corridor in its native color, everything had been white washed.  Floors, walls, ceilings, and doors in conjunction with the recessed white lights it made everything colorless and glaring.