“There better be a button or lever somewhere,” Jasim muttered from the other side of the broad slab. “It’s too deep or thick for me to simply dig down and pull on it.”
“Yes,” Leonidas said, continuing to follow its edge, also hoping a latch or control panel lay down here somewhere. The drone had gotten in somehow, but it might have had a radio transmitter.
As they worked, he glanced back often, hearing a groan or scrape as another pirate rose to his feet, looked around, then shambled off in the direction the others had fled. None of them had any fight left in them, but he wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be trouble.
A couple of times during that skirmish, especially when the homemade cyborg had been battering him with those powerful blows, he’d had thoughts of home, of Alisa and the children. In the past, when engaged in a battle, he hadn’t worried about anything except the fight, knowing that being distracted could get him killed, but in the past… he hadn’t had a family somewhere else, a family that would wonder what happened to him if he slipped up and died. He knew Alisa would be fine financially, if he were to fall, but he loathed the idea of leaving her a widow once again. After all, she had lost her first husband during the war. He also loathed the idea of the twins growing up without a father. More than all that, he liked spending time with them, no matter how fraught they sometimes made him feel, and the idea of never being able to do that again, of dying here on this barren planet, was a distressing one. The excitement and anticipation he’d felt when he first left the Nomad to pursue this mission had disappeared, and he found himself longing for home rather than more battles.
Maybe this was why the empire hadn’t wanted its cyborg soldiers to have families, people that they would worry about while on missions. People that would worry about them.
He hoped to finish this soon, so he could return home.
“I think I found something, sir.” Jasim had moved up to a higher point on the slope, the top of the slab.
Leonidas forced his mind back to the present, to the threats they might still face. He would be more likely to return to his family in good health by keeping his focus on his mission.
Jasim appeared to push something a few times, then growled and pushed harder. A faint crack sounded, and Leonidas thought he’d broken whatever control panel he’d found, but a grinding noise came from under the sand, and the slab shuddered.
Leonidas jumped up and backed away. A clinking noise emanated from within the dune, and the top part of the slab pulled away from the slope and out over the sand, like the drawbridge of an Old Earth castle.
“That wasn’t quiet,” Jasim observed, looking back toward the Interrogator. “If he’s in there, he likely knows we’re here now.”
“He probably knew we were here before the pirates even showed up.” Leonidas looked toward the ship—Maddy had landed and said she would wait a little longer for them, but that they better not take all night. “Thinking of having your pilot fly up and blow up the dune?”
“It crossed my mind, but we don’t know that he’s in there, and there could be innocent workers. Nobody maintains a secret base by themselves, right?”
“He could have android or robot servants.” Leonidas stepped onto the drawbridge and studied the wide, dark tunnel heading into the interior. Blowing up the dune might not do anything—the corridor sloped downward before disappearing around a dark bend. Whatever structure lay inside could be well under ground level.
“They’re innocent too unless they have assholes for owners,” Jasim said, hopping up next to him.
The drawbridge was sturdy enough for a vehicle to drive across—or a shuttle to land upon. Leonidas spotted a few dots on the sides of the corridor and pointed them out. “Those may be weapons—a security system.”
“Good thing we’ve got our armor.”
Leonidas did not point out that both of their suits had taken damage in the pirate skirmish, saying only, “Dufour may have anticipated that cyborgs in armor would eventually come visit him.”
“You think he’s installed measures that could trouble us,” Jasim said, in a voice that suggested he did too.
“I’m sure he believes they can. And he may be right. Walking in the front door seems unwise. Comm your pilot, will you?”
“Maddy?” Jasim asked. “Your second-favorite cyborg has questions for you.”
“Second?” Leonidas murmured.
“She doesn’t know you that well yet.”
“She’s knitting me a hat.”
“Because she’s already knitted me a hat. Also a scarf.” Jasim lowered his voice and mouthed, “They itch.”
“What is it?” Maddy asked, her voice faint through Jasim’s helmet.
“Ask her if the ship’s sensors are able to detect anything now that the door is open. Also see if there are any differences in temperature around this dune. Now that it’s night, and cooled off significantly, it might be possible to pick up something like an air conditioner or heater venting air.”
Leonidas removed his helmet while Jasim spoke to her and took a few steps closer to the tunnel. He cocked an ear, listening to faint rumbles. A ventilation system, he guessed. If the house or base or whatever this was had been built completely underground, it would need fans to bring air in, which meant this wasn’t likely the only opening.
He hopped off the drawbridge, put his helmet back on, and flicked to a heat-sensing view. His faceplate changed, showing blues, yellows, oranges, and reds against the contours of the dune. He walked along the top of it, peering down to either side, searching for disturbances that might indicate a vent.
“She says she doesn’t see much, sir,” Jasim said over the comm—he was still down by the drawbridge. “The sensors do show that there’s something here now, with the door open, but there must be extensive shielding for the structure itself. The Interrogator can’t penetrate it.”
“Understood.” Leonidas kept walking, making guesses about how long and wide a structure down there might be.
“Are you coming back down, sir? Should I close the door?”
Leonidas halted, spotting a temperature disturbance on the opposite side of the dune from the entrance. It was just below the ridge, and he scooted down to it, sand shifting underneath his boots. Warm air was escaping from what seemed to be the side of the dune. Any domicile down there should be cool, but Dufour might have refrigerators or other equipment that generated a lot of heat.
Leonidas brushed away sand, and his hand bumped against something—a camouflage mesh material covering a vent, protecting it from eyes and also from sand. His armor’s sensors reported the temperature of the air blowing against his hand. It was several degrees warmer than the ambient air. He removed the vent covering and peered into a duct. Not surprisingly, it was too narrow for cyborg shoulders to fit through, but light was visible straight down, filtered through a screen, and he spotted a few more ducts running sideways from this main shaft.
“Sir?” Jasim asked.
“I’m over here.” Leonidas crouched, considering the duct.
Between his blazer and his strength, he could widen the shaft, but it would make noise and take time. And there might be security measures in place down there, too. But would they be as strong as at the front entrance? And if Dufour heard noise, who would come to investigate? Him? Another human? Leonidas did not worry as much about human foes as technological ones, and it would be convenient if Dufour came to them. As long as Leonidas was in his armor, he shouldn’t have to worry about a poison needle reaching his flesh. If the poison came as an aerosol, his suit would filter out any toxic elements before he inhaled them. He had already checked and was grateful his armor had only suffered dents and scorches during the battle—its integrity had not been breached.
Jasim’s footsteps sounded in the sand behind him. “I wasn’t sure if that was an invitation to join you, sir.”
“What do you think of this hole?” Leonidas asked.
Jasim peered over his shoulder. “It’s narro
w.”
“We could widen it.” Leonidas gripped the side of the duct near the opening and applied enough force to press his fingers through the metal. It warped, then gave, and he pulled up a thin sheet, working slowly so he wouldn’t make much noise. He thought cement or brick or some other hard material might line the shaft beneath it, but it was sandstone. A soft sandstone, he found, as he scraped into it with his gauntleted fingers. Particles broke away and sifted down the shaft. “Clay and gypsum, I’d guess. Like the sand out here.”
“We’re digging our way in then?” Jasim asked, sounding dubious.
“You object?” Leonidas pulled out another panel and tossed it to the side.
“Just aware that Maddy might not stick around all night waiting for us.”
“Then we’ll have to dig quickly.” Leonidas dropped to his knees, breaking into the sandstone and trying to pull out the clumps he tore away, rather than letting them fall noisily onto the vent below.
Jasim grunted and knelt on the other side of the shaft to help. “Guess it can be practice for my next job.”
“Teaching children?”
“No way to get a job like that, sir, like I said. I’ll probably end up on someone’s construction crew, carrying heavy things around. Digging holes.”
“You have the same brain as any other human, Antar,” Leonidas said, surprised that Jasim seemed so certain he couldn’t do anything besides being a thug or a brute for a living. “Just because a few people have said no to your dreams doesn’t mean they’re unachievable.”
“If you say so, sir.”
Leonidas broke off and pulled up a large piece of sandstone. This would grow more difficult as they had to descend into the shaft to remove more as they went. Maybe they were being silly for not going in the front door.
The comm in Jasim’s helmet beeped.
Leonidas paused, looking at him.
“Trouble,” Maddy said tersely.
The squeal of blazer fire came from the other side of the dune.
Leonidas scrambled toward the ridge.
“The pirates came back?” Jasim whispered, coming behind him.
“Not exactly.”
More weapons fire punctuated Maddy’s words, followed by the roar of thrusters. The Interrogator?
Leonidas reached the ridge and crouched down, pulling Jasim down with him before he barreled over it.
“The ship needs help,” he whispered, but he let Leonidas pull him down.
In the valley between the two dunes, the Interrogator was rising, the ship’s thrusters flaring orange in the desert night. By their light, the attackers were visible. Numerous dark drones. These winged craft were far larger than the mail collection one had been. They flew around the ship like hungry raptors, firing as they darted in.
“It’s fine for now,” Leonidas said, pointing.
The shields were up, the blazer beams pinging off. Judging by the thickness of the energy blasts lighting up the night, those drones had blazers more powerful than hand weapons. Maddy wouldn’t want to stick around, and Leonidas was about to tell Jasim to ask her to leave, but she must have figured that out. The Interrogator flew away from the dunes, heading in a direction that wouldn’t take it—or its pursuers—over Leonidas’s and Jasim’s heads.
A few of the drones chased the ship while others swooped up and down the valley, skimming over the hovercraft wreckage. Looking for more enemies.
Leonidas pushed down on Jasim’s shoulder as he sank low behind the ridge. He held a finger up to his faceplate in front of his mouth. Drones would be harder to fight than men. In addition to being able to keep out of reach, they might have shielding that would deflect blazer fire. Plus, there weren’t many places for Leonidas and Jasim to take cover out here, unless they ran into the structure down there. Leonidas was sure they would only find more trouble inside.
Jasim must have realized he couldn’t do anything to help his ship now, because he nodded and slumped down, a hand on his rifle as he watched the sky.
A humming came from the north as the drones that had taken off after the ship headed back. They were at a higher elevation than the ones searching the valley, so Leonidas flattened his back to the sand, his rifle ready. Their combat armor wouldn’t give off heat and also had some sensor dampening capabilities, but if the drones had plain cameras and recorded their surroundings visually, they or someone watching the feed might notice the two dark lumps atop the lighter sand.
The hum increased as the drones came closer, one veering to fly along the ridge.
“I think I shook them,” Maddy said over Jasim’s helmet comm.
Leonidas heard it and winced at the noise. The helmet would have muffled the words to most people’s ears, but who knew what the drones’ capabilities were?
“But they hit hard,” Maddy added. “I don’t think it’s safe for me to come back.”
“Agreed,” Jasim whispered. “We appreciate that you came back the last time.”
She snorted. “As if you needed me. You two were taking down all those pirates all by yourselves. I barely got to shoot any.”
“As a grandmother of twelve, should you sound so remorseful when you talk about not being able to kill people?”
“Thirteen, and pirates aren’t people. They’re vermin with the ability to talk. And not usually that well.”
Leonidas made a cutting motion, and Jasim did not answer. The drone was almost overhead.
Leonidas did not rotate his helmet or twitch a finger. His shoulder blades itched as the armed construct sailed for their position. Had it seen them? Or sensed them?
Wind blew, scraping across the top of the ridge and battering their armor with sand. The drone cruised above them, and Leonidas mentally prepared himself for a fight. It seemed the thing could not possibly miss spotting them.
But drones did not have eyes, and their armor must not have registered on its scanners. It continued on, following the length of the ridge before swooping into the valley to join the others. One fired at a pirate, one that must have been too injured to get away. That seemed unfair, especially if Dufour had been the one to invite the pirates here to deal with his intruders. But maybe the drones were programmed to keep everyone away from the facility.
“I’ll wait back at the cantina for you,” Maddy said.
“When did you decide we’re worth waiting for?” Jasim murmured.
“I haven’t decided that, so be quick.”
“We will, but don’t forget, you promised Leonidas a hat. He would be chagrined if he didn’t get it.”
“I know he would. My hats are wonderful. I’ve informed my son-in-law that we’re experiencing a few mechanical problems and will head to the next job as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you, Maddy.”
After a few minutes, the drones finished their search and sailed over the drawbridge and into the compound. A grinding reverberated through the dune, followed by a thump.
“I think the drawbridge just got raised,” Jasim murmured.
Leonidas lifted his head. “Agreed. Back to digging.”
“Don’t you think… I mean, do you really think we can create a back door into the facility without alerting security? Some of those armed drones could be waiting at the bottom of the duct right now.”
“Do you have a better plan?” Leonidas asked.
“No, sir.”
Chapter 13
“I can go first,” Jasim whispered.
He was perched in the shaft above Leonidas, his feet and his hands planted on the rough sides they had carved out of the sandstone. It had taken most of an hour, but they had dug down to the vent at the bottom, pushing the stone out the top as they went. Jasim had been certain drones would descend upon them at any time, but the complex had fallen silent after the Interrogator flew away. Perhaps Dufour or whoever waited inside believed they had been driven off. Either that, or he was in there setting a trap. Jasim deemed that highly likely.
“That would be challenging considering
you’re behind me,” Leonidas murmured as he reached for the vent, his fingers curling around the slats. Their suits’ sensors did not read any life in the room that lay beneath the shaft, but that didn’t mean much. The drones weren’t living, and they were deadly.
“We could both climb out, and then I could go down first. Or you could push yourself to one side and let me squeeze past.”
“That would involve a great deal of coziness,” Leonidas said, “if not an impossible feat of gymnastics. My wife objects to me getting cozy with other people.”
“Er.” It still surprised Jasim when his former commander showed a sense of humor. “We’re already ensconced in a dark nook together. An outside observer would assume a make-out session was already in progress.”
“I’ll go in first. You pause and make sure nothing kills me instantly. Get out of here if it does. If it doesn’t seem that dangerous, jump down and back me up if there’s a need to fight.”
“Yes, sir,” Jasim said, though his point in making the offer had been to avoid getting Leonidas killed instantly, or otherwise. Since he had a family to go back to, Jasim would prefer to ensure he was able to do so.
A soft clank came as Leonidas pulled the vent free. Bright light shone in the room below, and from up above him, Jasim could make out a cement floor littered with sand from their excavations and a drain, as if this were a locker room. He did not see any drones—yet.
There was nowhere to set the vent in the shaft, so Leonidas squeezed it, the metal groaning faintly as he bent it, first in half and then into quarters. He hopped down with it and his rifle in hand, landing in a crouch and doing a quick three-sixty.
Jasim scooted lower, prepared to jump down and help—no matter what happened, he wasn’t leaving. But no sounds of a firefight broke out. Leonidas lowered his rifle and waved for Jasim to drop down.
A large room full of cabinets, workstations, and laboratory equipment opened up around them. A single door stood closed at one end. Several half-started projects lined the countertops, a mix of mechanical gadgets and liquids in high-tech chemistry apparatuses that Jasim couldn’t name. Bags of powders and dark bottles of liquids rested here and there, labels warning of toxic and extremely dangerous contents. The sight sent a chill through Jasim. Was this where the killer manufactured his poisons? Poisons specifically designed to kill cyborgs?