Lamile was tense. She was afraid that her conversation with her aunt had been over heard by Hozenbur. She knew that her aunt had an implant that allowed her access to computer and communications systems, but wasn’t certain that her aunt’s captor could monitor it.
Mitch heard only Lamile’s side of the conversation as they searched the rest of the street. As the cadets searched the rest of vacant houses on the street Mitch stayed with Lamile outside sending the cadets in. She knew that her friend was greatly distracted and she had to run the team for Major Atomi. Thankfully they found no one else in any of the houses.
When they finally got to the end of the street Lamile found her mother waiting for her, with Lady Hawthorne.
“You did good,” Lamile was fiercely hugged by her mother. “Mitch, thank you.”
“You’re welcomed,” Mitch replied, she had come a long way from the time she had been assaulted in the Trenaport Children’s Shelter. Lamile had been one of the reasons she had made so much progress.
“Major Hawthorne, get them out of here!” Mylea commanded
“Aye-aye,” Lady Hawthorne said. “Come on Lamile. We’ll go to the fire house. I am sure Mr. Kellogg will want to talk with you.”
Lamile nodded. She looked around for the Lieutenant’s cat and didn’t see it. “Mitch do you see Bugs?”
“No. I haven’t seen him since before we did the house where Lady Wilson is being kept.” Mitch said looking for the cat also, “He must be in there!” “Lieutenant Jones will kill us!” Lamile said.
“It is okay Lamile,” Lamile heard the Lieutenant’s voice in here ear bug, “Bugs is doing his job. He’ll be okay.”
“Okay then,” Lamile touched her ear bug. “Did you hear Aunt Lisa?”
“Yes,” The lieutenant answered, “We’ll see you in a bit.”
She followed the commandant to the jeep and soon they were at the fire house. When she got to the fire house she found the Trojack team mounting up. They had drawn the entry and extraction. They had wanted to be the ones to rescue Lady Wilson. They didn’t think they would get to do it; but the house was in their sector, and the other teams had been deployed for the over watch of the cadets. If they had moved out of their spots, they might be seen. They had the house bottled up. The Mounties had the back of the house, the Black Guard had the left side and the Companions had the right side. One squad of the Mounties and one squad of the Companions were the backup team.
Crandle was ready.
“Major Atomi,” Crandall called as he saw the cadet, “We saw the images from your camera. Is there anything they didn’t tell us?”
“I don’t know! Did you hear Aunt Lisa talking to me?” Lamile asked, “She told me she was in there.”
“We not only heard her Lamile,” Alice Jones came up to where Trojack entry team was prepping. “She gave us this.” Alice had been monitoring Lamile very carefully. She wanted to be able to tell the over watch team to get her out if things went crazy. As she was listening and watching Lamile, she noticed that there was a second data signal over laid on the audio. When she took it apart she had found pictures of what Lady Wilson had seen of the house. She had also sent a complete set of images of the containment system that kept her locked up. Alice shared them with the team.
“Bugs has managed to roam the house a bit,” Alice said. Unknown to Lamile and Mitch, Bugs was a robot. She had ordered Bugs to infiltrate the house when Hozenbur answered the door. “We now have a direct link with Lady Wilson’s implant. We’ll be able to tell her to duck and cover as you go in. Bugs has found a couple of hand guns, one assault riffle. He hasn’t found any heavy weapons, and Lady Wilson confirms there are no others in the house. Lady Wilson hasn’t seen any heavy weapons in the house either.” “Can Bugs create a distraction,” Crandle asked.
“Bugs has dropped off a ‘bot on the electrical panel,” Alice replied, “When you knock, the lights will go off. Bugs is trying to infiltrate the force field panel. There he’s in.” Alice appeared to be working the robot from a remote terminal, "I’ll have Bugs make a pest of himself a few seconds before you enter. I can have him to try to get Hozenbur to go to the door right before you hit it. Then as you hit the door, he’ll get in between her legs and trip her. You can go in anytime you want. I have the back and front doors.”
“We need to go in fast and furious!” Crandall said, “Randy, you have the key.”
“Yes sir,” an Alpha clone patted a three inch diameter, three feet long pipe with four handles. Capped with a solid looking plate. Someone had written ‘Universal Key!’ on it. He commented, “Me and baby will get that door open!”
“Lieutenant, I know you can defeat locks; but I think just for effect and disorientation, when you defeat the lock, Randy will open the door as violently as possible. And then we go in as practiced. I’ll be last in the stick with the medic behind me. While you guys take Hozie down, we get Lady Wilson out.”
“Crandall,” Mylea having come in with the last of the cadets spoke up, “I want Hozenbur alive. She has killed several people on this world and she will be tried for the criminal she is. She gets the Queen’s Justice.”
“Chief,” Crandall said returning the ice cold stare of the Chief, “That lady has murdered thousands of clones, and has been responsible for the repression of hundreds of thousands of others. I want that bitch. But I want her to be brought up on charges to show biopeople all over the Empire, that some of us who worked for the company are moral, ethical people and don’t support animals like Hozenbur. She is going before the Queen’s Bench. Where if the Crown Attorney does his job right, the woman will be found guilty and executed. My team hasn’t lost a suspect yet. I don’t intend to now. But we both know that Hozenbur may have other ideas.”
“I know you know your business Mr. Crandall.” Mylea said formally, “I’ve seen you work. I know what you can do. I am not questioning your abilities. I have a duty to the People of Trena to make sure we are all on the same page.”
“Chief Atomi,” Crandall as he stood to his full six foot two inches, “I understand.
Mount up people!”
As they walked out to the truck they found the Queen and Francine, Lady Wilson’s personal assistant, walking into the fire station.
“Your majesty, please tell me that Mike isn’t with you!” Mylea asked.
“No, General Langtree picked him up a while ago,” The Queen answered, “The General wanted to go over some paper work with him, and General Langtree suggested
that they catch a meal at the Fletcher O club while they discuss it.”
“Okay.” Mylea said. “Black Guard to me!”
“Yes ma’am,” A lieutenant came up to where the XO was standing. He was the secondary team leader for the guard. The primary team had the over watch on the street where Hozenbur’s safe house was.
“Your mission has been changed! You are to stay with the Queen, at least one team.” Mylea said sharply turning to the young queen, “Later I will discuss with the Queen how her presence here is not the brightest thing I have ever seen her do.”
“I know Mylea,” the Queen replied, “I know. But shouldn’t you be back at the Evac command post not here also.”
Princess Carroll wearing fatigues and weapons came up at that time. She was about to say something to both women, that none of them should be there, (Maybe even herself), when she heard a chuckle behind her. She turned with the two others to see Lamile smiling at them, “Mom, Your majesty, Princess. I will remember the example you are setting, when
I become in charge.”
“Let’s get out of the shooters way,” The Mylea said shaking her head. She hoped her daughter would never be faced with this situation.
They went and stood with the medics waiting for the word that Lisa was safe. As they were standing there Francine, who had come in with the Queen, gave the medics a small overnight bag. “This is for Lady Wilson when you get her out. It’s her own clothing.
Maggie sent them over.”
The medic made sure it was on the armored ambulance that had been staged at the fire house. It was only seconds away from Hozenbur’s safe house.
###
Crandall’s team stacked up and began to move on the house. They had chosen to stack two doors down from the house just to be sure that Hozenbur wouldn’t spot them. They slowly approached the house waiting for the over watch team to clear them to the next one. Hozenbur had not poked her nose out of the house since Lamile had knocked on her door. They finally got to the front door. Another entry team had worked up to the back door. They would take Hozenbur down if she tried to escape through the back.
“Do it!” Crandle yelled as they heard a cat screech and cry out, on the other side of the door. Randy battered the door open with the “Key”. As it swung open and Randy got out of the way as the number two man threw a stun grenade into the house. They wouldn‘t collapse the force field containing Lady Wilson until Hozenbur was under the control of the entry team. It would protect Lady Wilson from the effects of the grenade. Seconds after the grenade went off; the team flowed into house yelling, “Police! Down! Police! Down!”
Lady Wilson had been given a heads up of the entry, had buried herself in her make shift cell’s bath room and waited. She knew they had control of everything; but she wasn’t going to take any chances. She pulled the thin mattress over her and waited.
Hozenbur was bewildered. Between her stepping on the cat, that had come out of nowhere, the lights going off, the door flying open and the stun grenade going off she was completely disoriented. She had tripped over the cat and fell as the front door burst open. She saw the grenade just in time to open her mouth and squeeze her eyes tightly closed before it went off. She didn’t have time to recover as her attackers piled onto her. They had her secured in seconds.
They kept her down until they got Lady Wilson out of the house.
It all went to hell when they started to get off her. They thought they still had her secure. But Hozenbur was just waiting her time. As the fog cleared and as they stood her up she broke free and went to the back of the house. As she got to the door she pulled a gun she and fired into the biopeople. Two died instantly. Another lost an arm. Finally one of the biopeople got a clear shot and fired. Hozenbur was shot through the eye and died instantly.
“Suspect down!” Randy yelled. “Scene is secure! Medics! I need Medics now! I have two dead and one injured, and Hozenbur’s dead!”
Lady Wilson was already out of the house in an armored ambulance that had roared up to the house as the entry was made. The medic and Crandall had almost carried her out of the house. They barely allowed her feet to touch the ground as they hustled her into the waiting ambulance. They had gotten her to safety before they tried to stand Hozenbur up. Once inside the ambulance, Crandall called on his communicator, “All units, all units, we have Healer. Repeating we have Healer and she is alive!”
A landing craft roared to a landing at the fire station, its front ramp already down.
Another ambulance roared off it just as the ambulance carrying Lisa got to the fire house. As soon as the other ambulance was clear, the ambulance carrying Lisa roared up onto the ramp. As soon as it was aboard the landing craft, the landing craft made a combat lift with the ramp closing as the Elsy cleared 100 feet.
“Is she okay,” Mylea had scrambled onto the landing craft while the ambulance loaded onto vessel. She wanted to be one of the first people Lisa saw. She saw Lisa sitting in a web seat on the ambulance looking a little worse for wear; but looking okay, “Are you all right?”
“I am all right Myl,” Lisa said activating her implant’s communications suite, “Let me call Mike!”
“Mike is in route to the Valiant. David’s getting him there. You’re in route to the
Valiant.”
Mylea had gotten word to David when they had found Hozenbur, and were rescuing Lisa.
“I guess I can wait.” Lisa said, “Who is the team leader?”
“I am Lady Wilson,” Crandall had been waiting a little ways away from the noble woman letting the medics check the noble lady out.
“Thank you.” Lisa returned. As they got her onto the ambulance she had heard someone yelling about the casualties, “I am sorry about your team.”
“Lady Wilson,” Crandall said, “We got you out alive. Every one of my guys had been on Hozenbur’s team at one time or another and had found a way to get off it. They were ready to die to get you out of her hands.”
The Queen who had scrambled with Mylea onto the landing craft listened to the conversation and knew what she had to do.
“Mr. Crandall,” Queen Agatha spoke to the bioman, “The Crown will honor the blood price your team paid.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Was all that Crandall could say as the landing craft landed aboard the Valliant. The ramp of the landing craft opened. It had barely touch the deck before Marshal Wilson was scrambling onto the landing craft and then into the ambulance and finally pulling her into his arms.
“God I was so afraid that I lost you!” Michael exclaimed hugging her, and kissing her passionately. “I promised you I would never put you in danger, and I couldn’t even protect you!”
“It’s okay Mike,” Lisa responded, “I’m okay.”
“I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.” Mike hugged her again. He let go of her and helped her down the ramp of the Life Saver ambulance and the ramp of the landing craft where a nursing team was waiting for her. They had gotten the word that she was not injured.
“I need a team at the casualty dock!” a chief called, “I have another landing craft coming up with casualties. One of these birds needs to go.”
“This way Lady Wilson,” A nurse came up and led Lisa to an antigravity chair,
“Now don’t argue with me you’re under my care now.” “Okay,” Lisa replied and sat down in the chair.
“Marshal,” the nurse said as they cleared the air lock. “We’re going to examine Lady Wilson. Check her babies, and make sure she’s none the worse for wear. It’ll take an hour, but she’ll be back in your care shortly.”
Wilson knowing there was nothing he could do nodded went with his best friend and the Queen to a waiting room to wait for Lisa to be released.
“Well Lady Wilson,” The nurse practitioner that managed the obstetrics unit spoke to her a few minutes later. “Both children appear to be healthy. From what you said you have a normal gestation period of 9 months. It looks like you will give birth in a month or so. Your ordeal has in no way compromised your health, or that of the children. I would suggest that you speak with a counselor about your ordeal.”
Lisa was impressed. The nurse practitioner didn’t pamper her, or baby her; but wasn’t brusque or rude. She quickly and professionally examined her, drew some blood, looked at the children, and in general doing one of the most thorough examinations Lisa had ever witnessed. Then she gave her results just as professionally without getting into medical jargon.
“No one knows anything about assisting you to deliver your children in the IRS,” the nurse continued, “Is there anything significantly different that your midwife should know.”
“No, child birth is similar to that of a non-bioengineered woman.” Lisa remarked, “It shouldn’t be that bad I have been pregnant before and while labor is no fun, it’s something I can deal with.”
“Okay then,” The nurse said, “There is no reason to keep you. I am discharging you. Lady Wilson, until the Valiant is pulled out the com computer has instructions to find me anytime time you call. I’ll come to you if I have to.”
“Thank you,” Lisa said getting to her feet reaching for the rough gray colored smock that Hozenbur had made her wear. It was what clones in a production complex wore. Hozenbur had done her best to intimidate her and control her.
“Oh Lady Wilson, your maid sent this up.” She pointed to a small overnight bag.
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“I’ll leave you now so you can dress.”
“Thank you,” Lisa said. It was then that Lisa learned that she wasn’t in a standard examination room but a VIP suite. A few minutes later after a shower and in her own clothes, she left the suite to find her husband waiting for her. The Queen, and the others had left for the nearby VIP lounge. Lisa hugged Mike as fiercely as her pregnant belly would let her. He returned her hug with a passionate kiss.
“And,” Michael asked when they broke their embrace.
“Every thing’s okay,” She replied, “The babies weren’t hurt, Hozenbur wasn’t going to hurt me until she was ready. She wanted to kill the babies after they were born and either let me live or kill me hideously. Did they really kill her?”
“Yes, she’s dead,” Michael answered coldly, “Which is most likely better, she would have made a spectacle. That no one wanted. I don’t think we could have tried her.”
“Well I can’t say I am unhappy about her passing.” Lisa commented keying up her implant and sending out a query about her mother in law. She found that Joyce was now out of the hospital. Resting in the palace. She read the medical report, and said aloud, “How is Joyce?”
“She’s okay. About back to her old self,” Mike said, “Ready to go and tackle the estate on Home. Would have been gone but she wanted to know you were safe.”
“I see from the records that she recovered fast this time,” Lisa said, “Good time. I guess twenty some odd years does make a difference in medical treatment.”
When they left the suite’s lobby they found Mylea and the rest of them. Lisa went right up to Mylea and hugged her
“Thank you,” Lisa said. Once she got connectivity back with her implant she was slowly but surely wading through the terabits of information about her kidnapping, and rescue. “You did a very brave thing allowing Lamile to make contact with Hozenbur.”
“Lisa,” Mylea said quietly, “I would do it again if I had to. We had to get you back! Mostly because as much as this big strong marine thinks he is a manly man, he really needs you around to keep him in line. I tried but damn he’s a hard case!”