Mumbling from afar was gradually turning into faintly distinct chatter—the away team's pulses were almost in perfect sync, and getting faster with the sound of loose dead brush crackling under the building sound of boots walking closer. Aaen couldn't help but fathom what might happen in the next minute—or less—and his mind started racing with everything the academy had to say about how Rotelan treated their prisoners. . .and he wasn't eager to find out. Neither was the rest of the away team. C'MON, Mason! Let's GO! He frantically thought.
A dense mechanical grumble accompanied by a hiss sounded as the distortion gradually molded into a visible pentagon-shaped orifice resting on the dirt ground. Twin six-inch metal doors parted at the center—
The chatter was getting louder! Aaen noted. Maxon gestured to move forward, QUICK!
The semi-circle formation turned into more of a box shape twenty-five feet down a long, slightly dimly-lit metallic shaft. The top of the shaft was practically a spotlight from the bottom. Jonathan took a knee next to the far wall and took aim at the mouth of the shaft. Jensen aimed into the far length of the shaft. There was a high-power green force field blocking the turn about two hundred feet away—DANG!
Aaen looked around trying to find another way to get to the prize. One possibility caught his eye, but he had an immediate doubt about its feasibility, given the fact they were racing against having to make a decision about where and how they were going to move next, and realizing those footsteps were now loud enough that Aaen thought they were about to be the fish in the barrel. He frantically tapped various controls on the scanner, searching for an alternative route. . . Galileo doesn't have enough time to break into their larger computer network to disrupt the force field. . .there HAD to be another way. . . He was starting to sweat on his forehead, and his face was starting to burn. . .and—BINGO! He tapped Maxon's shoulder and pointed to a closed ventilation duct to his right. Maxon gestured the rest of the away team's attention on that point and then they all gathered around. . .
Aaen waved the scanner over the mouth of the duct, and then he quickly and sharply pointed, "Cannon shots, here, here, and there. . .HURRY!" Aaen whispered sharply, frantically looking at the top of the shaft, and then at the duct. His heart started hurting from the stress.
Jonathan adjusted the setting on his sidearm, and then aimed and fired at each directed point. The fastening mechanisms quickly glowed and then abruptly exploded as the duct cover fell to the floor. Aaen and Jensen caught the metal fragment and rested it gently on the floor—
"Unit two, report-in," a communicator demanded from about 35 feet away.
"Unit two to Command, so far all-clear in this sector. The entrance to cargo loading area is no longer cloaked. Not sure why. We'll check it out and report,"
"Understood,"
Now they realized they were really in trouble. Aaen frantically gestured for the away team to get in and MOVE IT! Maxon ordered him through first, a decision he attributed to the fact he was carrying the map. He didn't know who was following him, although his gut told him Maxon was going in last, or maybe Jonathan insisted she go in first, and then either he or Jensen would bring up the rear? He looked over his shoulder to find the metal cover was quickly replaced as two tall shadows stretched into the shaft. He dismissed this and focused on the small screen on the scanner. After another one or two hundred yard crouched hike through the darkest tunnel Aaen had or the rest of the away team had traversed since year-two at the academy—or so it felt like to Aaen, but kept to himself despite a rapidly growing soreness in his feet and knees, and moisture beginning to build-up on his upper back and shoulders—the map declared their objective was about ten meters away, behind another vent shaft cover. The room ahead was dimly lit, almost identically to a movie theater just before the feature. The only immediate sound was the faint hum of computer terminals. "We need one of the cannons over here!" Aaen whispered.
"Here!" Jensen extended the sidearm in front of Maxon. The sidearm was set two settings above stun—should be enough, Aaen guessed. He aimed and fired at the cover's fastenings, and then rested it against the back of what appeared to be a tall computer terminal. The away team entered the room quickly, leaning against the terminal. Aaen gave the sidearm back as Jensen and Jonathan crouched and snapped to cover each side of the terminal.
"It's in the middle of this room," Aaen gently but directly whispered to Maxon. Maxon mouthed the question 'life signs?' to Aaen—he turned his head.
"I'll generate a dampening signal with the scanner, it'll knock out any surveillance equipment in this room for about a minute," he was already busy making the necessary modifications. "We'll have that long to snatch that thing and then get outta here!. . ." Maxon watched Aaen's cleverness with the scanner.
"Will that set off any alarms?"
Aaen only raised his eyebrows and looked at her through his left peripheral. . ."Well, as closely as this place is being protected, I'd say we're lucky they're not monitoring the air moisture. That would be one of the first tell-tale signs of an intruder. All-things-considered, I'd say we've got a good chance of either being caught quickly and facing a big welcoming party, heavily armed, or barely getting out of here alive and facing pretty much every ship they have in their fleet between here and our exit strategy," and neither of those possibilities sounded good to Maxon, but she had already learned to trust Aaen and was waiting for him to finish the scanner modifications—"okay, the disruption signal's ready."
"Do it."
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers:
smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)
apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)
Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!
Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!
