Chapter 18
SUE
They lay covered in shadows, hidden from moonlight and floodlights, watching how the guards moved. Time was running out. If they didn’t get out of camp soon, daylight would ruin whatever slight chance they had. And once someone discovered they were missing, alarms would go off everywhere.
Sue knew their chances were slim. They were deep inside Warden territory, and running on foot would be all but impossible. With sensors and trackers everywhere, airships, rangers, Bliss, tampered goggles that would make anyone a stone-cold killer, they would have no chance. They had to not only get out of camp, but as far away from the Warden camp as possible.
They only had one chance, and a slim one at that.
That was the reason they were watching the guards assigned to airpad security.
In a few minutes, the airship would arrive. And if Dave’s assessments were correct, the rangers would set off an alarm, like they did when Dave went through his field experience. They would have a small window of opportunity, while the alarm wailed and the initiates were gathered. Once the rangers didn’t find her, they would know something was up, and all hell would break loose. She figured they would have a couple of minutes to do it, at best.
“The rangers will come looking,” Dave said. She kept counting the steps the guards used between the fixed points on their rounds and wasn’t paying attention to his words. Although the Wardens didn’t seem as keen on routines as the Janissaries, all guards tended to have routines to some extent. Sue thought she might have figured these out, but it was just a hunch. Once it happened, they would have to go through with it, no matter how the guards acted.
She heard a deep buzzing, like a high-voltage current, and then the airship appeared.
“Get ready,” she said. She wished they had a weapon, any weapon.
The airship slowed until it hovered just above the airpad. A serviceman tethered the anchor, and the cage lowered. Three Wardens, rangers, heavily armed and wearing combat gear and helmets, stepped out and walked toward the square. As soon as they rounded the corner, Sue tensed.
“Okay, Dave. Remember, run like hell and don’t let anything stop you. Count your steps. Once you reach twenty, dive and stay down, like we agreed. The crates will cover us. Keep counting. Once you reach twenty again, you get up and run until you reach the cage. Press the UP button. If one of us doesn’t make it, the other must keep going. We only have one chance. Those topside won’t know we’re coming; they’ll expect it to be one of the rangers or something.” Dave nodded intently, and she realized she had never seen him looking so… competent. He’d always been smart, but right now, he looked like he knew his stuff, even with this wild plan of theirs.
It was a long shot, and they both knew it. But if they were to have any chance whatsoever, this plan had so succeed. They knew the alternative was worse, and this way, at least they would be doing something.
She gritted her teeth and flexed her muscles. Now or never, do or die.
They leapt simultaneously, just as the last guard rounded a corner, moving out of sight.
She ran as quickly as her legs could carry her, counting silently, not even looking over to see if Dave was holding up. Her eyes were fixed on the crates, stacked high just on the edge of the airpad. Halfway there already. She chanced a glance to her right and noticed Dave was right next to her. She hadn’t expected him to be so physically fit, but then again, he’d been through basic training, as well. And he’d made full Warden, and not just because he was clever.
Twenty.
She threw herself against the crates and immediately began to try controlling her breath, slowing it while taking deep lungfuls. Dave bumped into her as he landed, but neither of them spoke a single word. Sue didn’t even dare take a peek to see if the guards had moved as anticipated. She kept counting. Ten, eleven, twelve…
Dave got something that looked like a knife from his pocket and gripped it hard. A thin screwdriver. Not much of a weapon, but better than nothing. Their eyes met, and she nodded. It seemed Dave was as determined as she. Considering what he had told her, she wasn’t surprised.
Eighteen. She took a deep breath. Nineteen. She flexed again, ready for the final sprint. Their final desperate move, she thought.
Twenty.
They both got up. Dave was a half second quicker, and pushed her down again, hard.
One of the guards was still there.
Dave held up five fingers in front of her face. Four. Three. Two.
“Now,” he mouthed silently.
One.
They got up again.
The coast was clear.
And then they ran, sprinting even harder than before. Sue wondered if they would have anything left once they reached the cage. It didn’t matter. Unless they reached it undetected, they didn’t stand a chance.
Dave stumbled and fell.
Oh no, she thought, hesitating.
They had agreed that if one of them didn’t make it, the other would keep going.
She realized she couldn’t do it.
Sue grabbed his arm and pulled him up on his feet. He took a step and winced.
The guards would be back any second.
She took his screwdriver in one hand and held him across the waist with the other. She dragged him along as quickly as she could. His face contorted in pain, but he managed to keep quiet.
Just a few more steps to go.
They reached the cage.
Sue grabbed the handle and opened the hatch.
The guard standing just inside the door looked at them, surprise apparent and confusion slowing him down.
His rifle moved, slightly.
Sue stabbed him in the throat, while knocking his hand away.
He lost his grip on the weapon, and Dave grabbed it before it could fall.
Sue held a hand over the guard’s mouth as he slid down to the floor, then she pulled the screwdriver out, letting the blood run freely.
The guard went silent, and Sue pushed the UP button. The cage rocked slightly as it ascended, and Sue looked at Dave. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he checked the gun and got a better hold on it, while supporting his weight against the side of the cage. She was probably a better shot, but he looked like he knew what he was doing.
The cage shook again as the ascent ended. The hatch opened, and they both got out as quickly as they could. There was no one there.
“The pilot,” Dave whispered. He winced again as he tried to move away from the cage. He shook his head and handed her the gun.
Sue grabbed the gun, recognizing it as one of the weapons the QRF at Camp Gustavson had used. She knew it well enough. She walked as silently as she could toward the front, where the pilot would be.
The pilot compartment’s hatch crashed open as a short man, about thirty, red headed and puffy faced, leapt out, holding a small sidearm.
“Hold it right there,” he shouted. Sue kept her own gun aimed at him.
“Take it easy,” she said, a sinister grin creeping forth, “and consider this. If we surrender, we’re dead. If you put your gun down, you might live. So who do you think is more desperate?” Her words came out calmer, colder than she felt.
The pilot seemed to consider his options for a moment, and then he slowly spread his arms, changing his grip on the gun. Holding it with two fingers, he carefully laid it on the deck.
“We don’t have all night,” Sue said impatiently, motioning him to return to the pilot’s compartment. She followed him inside, still pointing her gun at him.
“First of all, kill the comms and all tracking and positioning,” she said. The pilot hesitated, but then he pushed a few buttons.
“All right, that’s good. So. I want you to enable cloaking. No lights, of course. Just cut the tethers and move out.”
A muffled bang from outside as the tethers were cut by the emergency charges.
The airship engines were silent, even as they began moving.
“Where
do you want me to go?” he asked. Sue considered for a moment. They hadn’t discussed that, only that they needed to get away.
“Just move out. Doesn’t matter where to,” she said. The pilot hunched and pushed the control buttons, making the airship speed up. They saw the camp below as the ship turned. It still looked quiet down there, even though alarms were probably going off right now. Soon everyone in the Covenant would be searching for them.
Where was the one place they would never think to look?
“Take us south,” she said quietly.