Halfkinds: Survival and Superiority (Volume 1 - Contact)

  Chapter 15 - Simon Trevor - Risks

  November 16, 3040 11:32 PM

  The remnants of storage boxes, bits of food and clothes, and destroyed electronics surround us. I doubt that Primm's law enforcement will be happy with what we've done, but there's not much they can do about it. The United Species Alliance gave us full jurisdiction, so we're able to do whatever the hell it takes to get the job done as long as no one dies. Still, as I look around, I can't help but think that Fenrir and Colbo's actions were a bit excessive.

  "Didn't really go for the quiet approach, did you?" I say to Fenrir, who is a few feet away from me.

  "You didn't tell us we had to," he says sarcastically.

  "Guess I didn't."

  Another halfkind is dead and there's nine left. This one had a weapon with him, which tells me he was expecting us. I wonder how prepared the rest of them are, that when the time comes, if they'll fight back like he did. These things are scared, desperate, and fighting for their lives, which makes them very dangerous. I guess Fenrir and Colbo did what they had to do in order to get the job done.

  "All right, let's gather up and go over what we know so far," I say. The team has been spending the past hour looking for clues, documenting evidence, and doing forensic tests to find anything that could help in our investigation. Fenrir has been on scent duty. I told Colbo and Borton to seal the area and find out what the halfkind was trying to get. Erawan is on guard duty.

  Apollo had already finished his investigation. He discovered some very vital evidence - a data cube Lombardi Lawton had in his pack. I think we've gotten what we needed and it's time to figure out the next plan.

  "Everyone gather around," I say. "Apollo, share with the group what you found in his bag."

  "Information on nearby teleporters," he tells the squad.

  "We also checked the security console from where he entered," Fenrir says, "The history log suggests he was on the infospace looking for the same thing. Let me take a look at your data."

  Apollo shows Fenrir the display and he examines it.

  "Yup, the information from the log matches with what you discovered," Fenrir says. "It appears they're trying to leave Primm as soon as possible."

  "It makes sense. I'm not surprised that's their next move," I say. "Two of their family members are dead. If I were them, I would leave here in a hurry, and if they make it to and are able to use a teleporter, tracking them down will be very, very difficult."

  "Where do you think they're going?" Borton asks.

  "We don't know, but does it really matter?" I respond. "They could travel to anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye."

  "How many teleporters are there in Primm?" Colbo asks.

  "There are two, the Gonzalez and Li stations. The birdman's data was for the Gonzalez station, probably because it's closer to here, so I'm guessing that's probably where they'll be heading," I say. "This also gives us a clue as to where they're hiding out. With no vehicle support, it means they're on foot. They have to be at least within a one to three mile radius from here and the Gonzalez station is in this area. They can't risk being in the open for too long, even if it is at night."

  "Perhaps we should be finding out where their hideout is," Colbo says.

  "No," I interrupt. "We know where they're going. If we go looking for their hideout, it could lead to a wild goose chase. Why not meet them at their target and stakeout the area? It'll be the perfect trap."

  "But what if we're the ones who are being trapped," Fenrir says, breaking into our conversation.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Think about it, this is too obvious. This halfkind creature got blown to bits by Colbo and I. We tore him apart, just look at his corpse, and he conveniently leaves us a nice, fat clue to cash in? Doesn't it seem a little odd that someone we destroyed is leading us somewhere so obvious?"

  "Perhaps," Colbo says, "but it's not like he knew that we were coming after him."

  "Didn't he?" Fenrir says. "He had a bomb with him, after all. Maybe he was sent on a suicide mission, maybe he died because he wanted to leave a message."

  I interject. "That's a lot of maybes and if that's the case, you think these halfkinds would sacrifice their own like that? Send some kind of kamikaze soldier to set up this trap?"

  "It's not out of the question."

  "But he's their brother," Apollo says, "it seems pretty extreme to make your own family do that."

  Fenrir pauses to think about Apollo's observation. "When survival is on the line, extreme decisions are always made."

  "Maybe," Apollo says hesitantly. "But the only other teleporter here is the Li station and that's nearly four miles away from this supply depot. If they are heading to that one, they'll have to risk being seen and there are nine of them around. Seems like an unnecessary gamble to be walking out in the open, in such a large group, to a station that's farther away."

  "So, should we check out the Gonzalez teleport as the Commander suggests?" Colbo asks.

  "It's up to him," Fenrir says bluntly. "But I'm still skeptical. Make your call, Trevor."

  I go over the situation in my mind before I confirm. The Gonzalez station would be the most likely place they would show up next. Lombardi's evidence practically spells it out.

  Fenrir does also make some excellent points. Things seem too good to be true. I'm not fully convinced, though. I just don't think a family would sacrifice their own like that. I've seen a lot of things in my career, but that seems too merciless to me.

  "I think we should stakeout the Gonzalez station," I say. "It's the next logical move for the halfkinds. But I want to make sure we're all in agreement before we execute it. Who's in and who's out?"

  "I'm in," Apollo says. "There's no reason to suspect otherwise. Just because the pieces fit doesn't mean we should disregard the facts."

  "Yes, the obvious answers are obvious for a reason," Borton says.

  "And you Erawan?" I ask him. He nods in agreement. "Colbo?"

  "The halfkinds are scared, they know we're after them," Colbo says. "I don't think they care for strategy now, I think they want the fastest way out."

  I then look at Fenrir. Judging by his body language he's still suspicious.

  "I'm guessing you're the only one who thinks this isn't a good idea," I ask.

  "I'm unsure," he says. "Things never come this easy and we are underestimating these halfkinds too much."

  "Well there's not much we can give them credit for," Borton says. "Two of them are dead and their attempt to retrieve supplies has been a spectacular failure. I don't think they have a master plan or grand scheme. I think they're running around with their heads cut off."

  "Still," Fenrir continues, "the second we let our guard down is the second they'll strike."

  "What do you think we should do?" I ask Fenrir.

  "We should split up," Fenrir says. "There are two stations here in Primm, one team of three can check out the Li and the other team can check out the Gonzalez station."

  "I don't know," I say. "I think if our team is taking on nine possible hostiles, we should be at full strength. They may not be armed like we are, but a three on nine situation is never safe. I don't want to take the risk on a hunch."

  "But if they're as clueless as we think they are, three on nine is plenty," Fenrir says.

  Taking on so many of them with a handful of squad members could be suicide. But if I cash in all my chips on the Gonzalez station, and the halfkinds go to the Li station, my mission will be over.

  "Okay, Fenrir, we'll do it your way. I'll send half of us to the Li station and half of us to the Gonzalez station. Borton, Apollo?"

  Suddenly we hear a knock echo from the front door.

  "Did you hear that?" I ask the others. They nod. We're not alone. "Fenrir, Apollo, exit through the front door and see what that was. I'll follow behind you for back up. The rest of you, stay here for now."

  "Why can't we
go?" Colbo asks.

  "You're all too big," I say as I walk away. "You might scare it away."

  Apollo and Fenrir head toward the knocking. I trail behind them, gun in my hands pointing downward. We exit the warehouse and slink through the hallway leading toward the front. It's quiet, like the warehouse, but different at the same time. The warehouse has an openness about the silence. I could hear wind blowing against the outside walls and small pieces of metal getting thrown around softly. The hallway has deft stillness, the kind of sound that surrounds you as the adrenaline pumps in your body and you brace for a clash.

  The front door opens and the two canines step outside while I observe from my view inside. Fenrir looks to the left, Apollo looks to the right. They see nothing and trot around the front area. I step outside as well.

  We survey the landscape and see squat, just an empty lot.

  "Apollo, use your scent device," I say. "Fenrir, see if you can pick up anything too."

  Apollo equips his scent device and sniffs the ground diligently. Fenrir does the same, without the gadgets.

  "Got anything?" I ask.

  "No, it's hard to pick up a scent if I don't know what I'm sniffing for," Fenrir says.

  "I smell something faintly, but nothing solid. The earlier battle has spread all this debris, there's too much bombarding my nose," Apollo says.

  "Don't blame this on me, dog," Fenrir snaps back.

  "I'm just saying."

  "Enough fighting you two, we need to?"

  Suddenly something catches my eye. On my vehicle lies a note stuck tightly on the side. It flutters violently as the wind blows against it.

  I walk towards my hovercar and snatch it off.

  TWO OF US ARE DEAD. IT'S TIME WE TALK. MEET US AT THE SPADES AND DIAMONDS CASINO IN ONE HOUR. DON'T BE LATE.

  "What is it?" Apollo asks.

  I don't answer him. My brain needs some time to process the message. I hastily make my way back in. "Let's get inside, we need to talk to the rest of the group."

  I rush into the warehouse and address the others.

  "So what was outside?" Colbo asks.

  I hand him the note and he passes it around to the others. After they read it, Fenrir speaks. "This is a trap."

  "Another trap?" Colbo says. "Is your mouth on repeat?"

  "Well what could they want to talk about, the weather?" Fenrir says.

  "If this is a trap, then what about your theory on the Gonzalez station?" Borton asks. "That also another scheme they have?"

  Fenrir is at a loss for words. "I suppose I was wrong in my earlier assumption. Maybe they're trying to draw us into one place while they make their escape at the teleporter."

  "That does seem like a wise strategy," Apollo says. "Perhaps in this case, it is a good idea to split up."

  "I agree," I say. "This is most likely a ruse they're setting up. I don't think they want to talk. But even if they are setting some kind of con, I still think that the Spades and Diamonds Casino is worth investigating. If we split up the squad, one group should take the Spades and Diamonds and another should check out the Gonzalez station."

  "And the Li station?" Fenrir asks in a concerned tone.

  "Sorry, but I don't want to divide us any further. If we don't find anything at either location, then the Li station will be our first priority. But for now, we should focus on these two. Is that a deal?"

  I look at the others. They all are in agreement, except Fenrir. But as my eyes continue to pierce at him, he finally relents.

  "Fine," he says begrudgingly, "we'll do it your way."

  "Good," I say. "The assignments will be Apollo, Borton, and I to the Spades and Diamonds Casino, Erawan, Colbo, and Fenrir to the Gonzalez station. I'm splitting up the trackers so that there's one on each team. In case this is a diversion, I'll concentrate the heavy firepower at the Gonzalez station. I'm looking at you Colbo and Erawan."

  "Don't worry, we got it covered," Colbo says.

  "We'll be Team A, and you are Team B," I say.

  "Try to be a little more discrete this time," Apollo says. "It's one thing to blow up a cruddy supply depot, it's another to destroy a teleporter station. The Alliance won't be too happy if the bill for this mission runs high."

  "We'll do what we need to," Fenrir says. "Besides, it's not our fault that birdboy threw a bomb at us."

  "Noted," Apollo says dryly.

  "We're leaving now, Commander?" Colbo asks.

  "Yes, but Team B will set up a perimeter on the Gonzalez station. Your assignment will be to wait on my command before you engage. I want to check out the casino before giving the go on an assault. The more information we have, the better, and if the casino is empty, I don't want Team B to be stuck in the middle of an ambush. I have a suspicion that if this meeting is a trap, they'll be waiting in full numbers at the Gonzalez station. If you wait, I can relay our status via our communicators and give you the signal to lead your strike. Is that understood? Don't engage until I tell you to, I repeat, do not engage unless I tell you."

  "Yeah, yeah, we got it Commander," Colbo says nonchalantly.

  "Good. We'll be departing for our respective locations in ten minutes. Finish up whatever you have left to do and get ready to move," I say.

  The others disperse and start to pack their gear. Once again, I notice Erawan has stayed mute throughout the strategy session. He doesn't have much to pack and silently stands still while the others rustle through their items.

  "Nothing to say again?" I ask him.

  "Not much, Commander," he says.

  "What do you think of the plan?" I ask.

  "It's solid. I see your reasons for spreading the group and I understand why the teleporter stations are high priority."

  "But it seems that something is bothering you. You haven't said anything since we got here."

  "It's because there's nothing to say. There's one thing I do disagree with, though."

  "And what's that?"

  "Your assertion that these halfkinds aren't desperate enough to sacrifice their own. They may be intelligent like you and I, but that doesn't mean they have lost their survival instinct. In the end, all we want to do is survive, primitive or intelligent. And with a group as dangerous as ourselves hunting them down, and their desperation increasing every second, I wouldn't be surprised if sacrifices needed to be made."

  "But they're family."

  "Does that ever matter?" he says bluntly. "Excuses like that are conveniences we can afford because we're smarter than the primitive animals out there. But in the end, our core is made of those primitive instincts."

  "You sure are battle hardened, Erawan. I wish you would speak more, you're experience could help guide the others."

  "Talk is useless, experience can only be gained through actions. Whatever I say would be lost on them."

  "I see. So do you think Fenrir is right, then? Do you think they sent their brother to deliver this message?"

  "Perhaps, but it's a guess. My knowledge can only go so far. We creatures are too unpredictable."

  "Well for the sake of the mission, let's hope our gut feelings are right."

  "Yes, for the sake of the mission," he says as he walks away. I sense a subtle sarcasm in his words, as if the assignment means nothing to him. But I can understand, after years of these kinds of tasks, importance and meaning get lost in the sea of memories you obtain. You do what you're told and don't think a second about it. Even the best of us get worn down eventually.