death. "
Shit, thought
Charlie. She saw me.
"And what's
going on with his trousers. He's not a sex freak is he?"
Bei laughed. "Believe
me. The kid will come in useful."
"How?"
"This isn't
the time and place for discussions."
She folded her
arms, rooted to the spot.
Bei shook his
head. "Fine. The data you have needs unencrypting, right? Well, this kid
can help us with that."
"Bullshit. I
know every hacker inside the resistance and he isn't one of them."
Charlie stood in
the cage, his heart racing, a silent bystander in his own survival.
"No,"
Bei said. "But trust me, Awani. He'll help us with the data. Now enough
arguing. The last I heard I was in charge here."
She shrugged and,
looking at Charlie, said, "Just make sure you don't get us killed."
"I'll
try," Charlie said, sounding a lot meeker than he had meant to.
A scream echoed
down the corridor. Fifty metres away, the escaping prisoners huddled around one
large, furry figure. Bork. Above her head, a male fringe thrashed and bucked,
trying to free himself from her grip.
But Bork had him
held tight, an ankle in one hand and a wrist in the other. And she was pulling
hard. The soldier squealed, his face twisted and grotesque beneath his
dishevelled fringe.
All around the
massive female, prisoners fisted the air, chanting "Kill, kill,
kill."
Bork looked over
the heads of the inmates, caught Charlie's eye and smiled.
The pebble stare
turned his insides to water. Yet, somehow he managed to force a smile onto his
horrified face. At least he hoped it resembled a smile. He had no desire to further
hurt this woman's feelings. Who knew how long Bei would be alive to fend her
off?
The soldier's
screaming reached a terrible crescendo. Finally, his body could bear the
stretching no more. There was the noise of ripping flesh, a gurgled scream, and
then the soldier came apart, pouring thick blood onto the mob below.
With a look of
satisfaction spread across her mottled face, Bork threw the torn carcass onto
the floor. Then she raised her hand towards Charlie, waved, and pushed herself
through the bloody crowd, passing out of sight down the corridor.
A hand slapped
Charlie's back. "You've got a hell of taste in women," Bei said,
laughing.
"If that's
her idea of foreplay," Charlie said, "then I owe you my life."
"Quit your
jabbering you two," Awani said. "We'll be overrun with soldiers once
they work out what's happened."
They sprinted in
single file, Awani leading the way and Bei protecting the rear. Charlie,
unarmed and feeling as useful as a fudge condom, covered the middle.
After a minute's
running, Awani held up a hand and they stopped. She scanned the corridor, and
satisfied the coast was clear, knelt down beside the turquoise wall. She
retrieved a piece of metal from her belt. Charlie was surprised to see it
almost perfectly resembled a fifty pence piece. When she pressed it against the
wall, it clung to it like a magnet.
She backed away
and signalled for the others to follow suite.
A few seconds
later, the alien fifty p exploded, blowing a hole a metre wide in the wall. The
explosion sent thick chunks of corridor wall scattering across the floor.
Awani slipped
through the smoking hole, rifle at her shoulder.
Charlie leant
down and picked up a piece of the turquoise material. It had the look, feel and
smell of epoxy, the resin used to coat new surfboards.
"Get a move
on, passenger, " Awani called from the other side of the hole.
Charlie looked
at Bei. "Is she always this bossy?"
The blue man
smiled. "She bites worse than she barks. So I'd shift it if I were
you."
Chapter 7
The hole opened
into a second corridor. Once through, Awani picked up the pace. She ran holding
a flat slab, palm-sized and dull green. Every now and then, without slowing,
she would tap its surface, and a 3D map would flash up, showing the ship and
their current location on it.
As outside centre, Charlie was one of the
fastest players in his team. He enjoyed nothing more than
Shit, thought
Charlie. She saw me.
"And what's
going on with his trousers. He's not a sex freak is he?"
Bei laughed. "Believe
me. The kid will come in useful."
"How?"
"This isn't
the time and place for discussions."
She folded her
arms, rooted to the spot.
Bei shook his
head. "Fine. The data you have needs unencrypting, right? Well, this kid
can help us with that."
"Bullshit. I
know every hacker inside the resistance and he isn't one of them."
Charlie stood in
the cage, his heart racing, a silent bystander in his own survival.
"No,"
Bei said. "But trust me, Awani. He'll help us with the data. Now enough
arguing. The last I heard I was in charge here."
She shrugged and,
looking at Charlie, said, "Just make sure you don't get us killed."
"I'll
try," Charlie said, sounding a lot meeker than he had meant to.
A scream echoed
down the corridor. Fifty metres away, the escaping prisoners huddled around one
large, furry figure. Bork. Above her head, a male fringe thrashed and bucked,
trying to free himself from her grip.
But Bork had him
held tight, an ankle in one hand and a wrist in the other. And she was pulling
hard. The soldier squealed, his face twisted and grotesque beneath his
dishevelled fringe.
All around the
massive female, prisoners fisted the air, chanting "Kill, kill,
kill."
Bork looked over
the heads of the inmates, caught Charlie's eye and smiled.
The pebble stare
turned his insides to water. Yet, somehow he managed to force a smile onto his
horrified face. At least he hoped it resembled a smile. He had no desire to further
hurt this woman's feelings. Who knew how long Bei would be alive to fend her
off?
The soldier's
screaming reached a terrible crescendo. Finally, his body could bear the
stretching no more. There was the noise of ripping flesh, a gurgled scream, and
then the soldier came apart, pouring thick blood onto the mob below.
With a look of
satisfaction spread across her mottled face, Bork threw the torn carcass onto
the floor. Then she raised her hand towards Charlie, waved, and pushed herself
through the bloody crowd, passing out of sight down the corridor.
A hand slapped
Charlie's back. "You've got a hell of taste in women," Bei said,
laughing.
"If that's
her idea of foreplay," Charlie said, "then I owe you my life."
"Quit your
jabbering you two," Awani said. "We'll be overrun with soldiers once
they work out what's happened."
They sprinted in
single file, Awani leading the way and Bei protecting the rear. Charlie,
unarmed and feeling as useful as a fudge condom, covered the middle.
After a minute's
running, Awani held up a hand and they stopped. She scanned the corridor, and
satisfied the coast was clear, knelt down beside the turquoise wall. She
retrieved a piece of metal from her belt. Charlie was surprised to see it
almost perfectly resembled a fifty pence piece. When she pressed it against the
wall, it clung to it like a magnet.
She backed away
and signalled for the others to follow suite.
A few seconds
later, the alien fifty p exploded, blowing a hole a metre wide in the wall. The
explosion sent thick chunks of corridor wall scattering across the floor.
Awani slipped
through the smoking hole, rifle at her shoulder.
Charlie leant
down and picked up a piece of the turquoise material. It had the look, feel and
smell of epoxy, the resin used to coat new surfboards.
"Get a move
on, passenger, " Awani called from the other side of the hole.
Charlie looked
at Bei. "Is she always this bossy?"
The blue man
smiled. "She bites worse than she barks. So I'd shift it if I were
you."
Chapter 7
The hole opened
into a second corridor. Once through, Awani picked up the pace. She ran holding
a flat slab, palm-sized and dull green. Every now and then, without slowing,
she would tap its surface, and a 3D map would flash up, showing the ship and
their current location on it.
As outside centre, Charlie was one of the
fastest players in his team. He enjoyed nothing more than
Similar Books
