Progeny (The Progenitor Trilogy, Book Three) (85 page)

              ‘Look, I mean when Morgan first began this rebellion a lot of us supported him.  Sure, plenty of us had our doubts, but a lot of the things that he was saying about the corruption in government and how other systems get sidelined in favour of the Solar System and where all the money goes made a lot of sense, you know?  Especially after they arrested the President.  It was only after Morgan came here that things started to go wrong.’  Sigurdson was talking rapidly in a voice so low that Steven could barely hear him above the music.  He leaned closer and Steven urged him to continue.

              ‘Okay, well the Commonwealth sent ships to retake the system.  We were told that Admiral Haines was in command.  I mean, I’ve heard of this guy, everyone has.  Haines was always hailed as a goddamn hero, unbeatable they said.  He didn’t last five minutes up there.  You could see the fireworks from here: ships burning up, debris raining down through the atmosphere.  Then they branded Haines a war criminal, said he’d butchered civilians up there.  It didn’t seem true to me.’

              ‘It isn’t.  It’s bullshit,’ said Steven.

              ‘Right, except afterwards a few people started to say that, and they just disappeared overnight.  Guys I’d worked with for years: gone.  The official line was that they’d been transferred to other units, but they were completely un-contactable.  It was like they’d never existed.  Then we started to see strange ships in the sky.  I mean, it’s not unusual to see all sorts of weird alien ships around here, the system’s a trading hub after all, but these things... I don’t know... they make my skin crawl.  You ever have dreams where you think you’re about to die, and everything starts to fade into whiteness and you wake up in the middle of the night with your heart pounding?  That feeling, right there, is how I feel when I look at those things.  Anyway, we knew that they were landing troops.  Most of them looked human enough, but they were kept separate from the rest of the grunts, and then people started saying that they’d seen other things too.’

              ‘What other things?’

              ‘Strange creatures out in the forests and in the streets at night, sometimes.  Aliens, yeah , but not from any species that we know and then one by one bases all over the system started to go quiet.  We knew that there was still somebody there, we still got requests for supplies coming through, but there was never anyone there who replied to our messages and calls.  Whole units had just stopped talking to us.  People I’d spoken to every day for years and now they didn’t answer.  Even the convoys or transports that came to pick up the supplies – they didn’t speak to us, even look at us.  They looked human, but they were like robots, just unthinking machines.  We heard stories about what had happened to them...’ Sigurdson shuddered.

              ‘What about Admiral Haines, have you heard anything regarding his whereabouts?’

              ‘I... I dunno if I should.  Look if they hear me, or trace this back to me...’

              ‘They won’t.  I promise you: I protect my sources.  You’ll be doing the Commonwealth a big favour.  If Haines is still alive, then we need him to be leading the Navy once again.  Think of the hope it would give people to see him rescued!’

              ‘I...  yeah I guess.  Look, after the battle I think Morgan’s people figured out that Haines was still alive.  Quite a few escape pods from the Commonwealth ships came down right across that face of Orinoco.  They must have found his somehow.  There was a call for information and a reward for his capture, but it sounds like they found him themselves somewhere out in the deep jungle.  Morgan was on the news broadcasts, crowing with victory.  I think they caught a whole bunch of them hiding out there like some sort of guerrilla army or something.  Morgan accused them of plotting all sorts of atrocities.’

              ‘Do you have any idea where they might have taken him?’

              ‘There was a lot of activity following his capture.  I think they moved him around from place to place at first.  It was easy to tell where the highest levels of security were: all of a sudden, those units that we were still in regular contact with were either replaced with troops that Morgan had brought in from off world, or they themselves became incommunicado.  At first, I think they had him somewhere inside the Governor’s Residence, but now I’m pretty sure they’ve got him in the cells underneath the Assembly.’

              ‘How can you be sure?’

              ‘Well I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but there was a heavily guarded prisoner convoy sent there about a week ago from the Governor’s Residence.  Security was pretty tight around the Assembly before, but it’s been beefed up since.’

              ‘Yeah, I took a look around.  There’s a small army guarding the place.’

              ‘Right, and all of those units around there are like I said:  they don’t communicate with the rest of us.  If Haines is still alive, my bet is that he would be in there, especially since Morgan seems intent on giving him a show trial.’

              ‘And what about the rest of you?’

              ‘Most of my buddies are too damn scared to do anything except follow orders.  Those who don’t...  I’ve heard the rumours, man.  I’ve seen pictures of bodies with... with things attached to their skulls... and that giant fucking ship in the sky?  You can’t miss that.  I don’t know who Morgan’s new friends are, but they scare the shit out of me.  I don’t want to... I don’t want to end up like the rest...’

              Isaacs glimpsed her through the crowd, moving deftly between dancing bodies that parted like water for her.  Her lithe body was clad in a silver dress that clung to her curves.  At first, he thought it was merely another girl who bore a passing resemblance to Anita, but the more he stared, the more he realised that he was looking at the genuine article.  He couldn’t believe it was her.  He had seen her disappear under a tide of bodies.  He had seen her die, or at least, he thought he had.

              She spotted him, a flash of recognition from those large brown eyes of hers and a grin, and then she began to move towards him across the dance floor until she stood before him, almost a head shorter even in her heels.

              ‘Cal, hi.  It’s good to see you,’ she said, gazing up at him and cocking her head to one side.  Isaacs was almost speechless.  ‘How are you?’ she added as if noticing his dumbstruck expression.

              ‘What happened... what happened to you?’ he stammered.  ‘I saw you die!  We looked everywhere for you, but...’

              ‘I uh... look I managed to get out of there, okay?  Fancy running into you in here of all places.  Look, maybe I have some explaining to do.  You want to get a drink and catch up?’

              ‘I uh...  I’m kind of in the middle of something.  Anita I...  I thought... we all thought you were dead, for God’s sake!’

              ‘It’s okay.  I knew you’d be surprised, and a bit shocked.  I’ve missed you, you know?’ 

              ‘Well I... how on earth did you?’

‘Being with you was a lot of fun, Cal.  Do you remember what it was like on the ship, just you and me?  You know, I saw you in here and the first thing I thought was... look, do you wanna go somewhere and...’ she moved closer and put her hand on his arm.

              ‘Ah, no I don’t think... look, Anna and me are back together now.  She’s just over the other side of the room and well...’

              ‘That’s okay,’ she murmured in his ear.  ‘You can both share me if you like, I don’t mind...’  He felt her hand move downwards across the front of his trousers and stop there.  ‘I’ve been watching you, Cal,’ she whispered, her breath on his ear.  ‘Ever since I came here, I’ve been watching you. 
We’ve
been watching you... ever since you entered the city...’

              Her face was centimetres from his own.  His nostrils were filled with the scent of her.  He looked into those large brown eyes and saw something looking back at him, something cold and alien and calculating.  Something that wasn’t Anita.  In horror he took a step back, fumbling beneath his jacket for his weapon.

              ‘Don’t fight it, Cal,’ said the thing that had once been Anita.  ‘You should join with us.  The pleasures of this weak flesh are as nothing compared to the bliss of being one with us.’ She ran a hand languidly down over her body.

              ‘No... oh god no...’ Isaacs heard himself moan, as he started to back away.

There was a commotion at the other side of the room.  The doors of the club had burst open and black, armoured figures were swarming in, guns at the ready.

              A single gunshot rang out.  Anita was propelled backwards onto the dance floor, a dark stain already spreading from her left shoulder as she landed heavily amidst the dancers.  There were screams.  People were already turning around in shock and terror or backing away.

              ‘You fucking idiot!’ screamed Anna, the heavy pistol that had fired the shot in her hand.  ‘Always thinking with your dick as usual!  Come on!’

              Steven heard the shot ring out and was on his feet in seconds, weapon drawn.

              ‘You fucking set me up!’ he barked at Molinelli, but the gangster was already throwing up his hands and shaking his head.

              ‘Oh god, no!’ he heard Sigurdson sob.  ‘I knew it, I knew they’d come... oh Jesus!’

              ‘Run!  Now!’ snapped Steven. He scanned the room.  Armoured figures were fanning out amidst the fleeing revellers.  There was a crash from the back of the club as a shaped charge blew the hinges off the fire escape. He grabbed Molinelli before he could flee.

              ‘We need to get out of here!  Which way?’

              ‘Follow me,’ said the trembling fat man.  ‘There’s a flight of stairs to my private rooms.’

              ‘And from there?’

              ‘On to the roof, I think.  It’s the only way.  Follow me.’

On the dance floor, Anita was struggling to rise.  As Anna pulled Isaacs away he saw a look of murderous fury on the face of the pretty young woman who had once been his lover.  Her face contorted with an animalistic snarl, she started to charge towards them.  Two more shots barked from Anna’s pistol and struck Anita in the forehead.  She went down, limbs twitching.

              ‘And stay down!’ cried Anna, then added.  ‘Never could stand that little bitch.’

              As Anna pulled at Isaacs’ shoulder with her hand, he caught a glimpse of Anita’s ruined face, and the hint of something horrible moving inside her shattered skull before he hurriedly looked away.

              The black figures were closing in.  Now that they were closer, Steven could see the police logos on their helmets and pauldrons in the flickering gloom.  Their automaton-like movements betrayed that they were undoubtedly enslaved.  Two had moved closer around the tables and pillars to his left.  Reacting quickly, he squeezed off four shots, pushing people out of the way as he took aim and put two bullets into the skulls of both figures, blowing them backwards off their feet.  Isaacs and Anna ran towards him through the panicked customers.  Abject horror showed on Isaacs’ face.

              Shots began to ring out from the far side of the club where the police had hunkered down into firing positions, gouging holes from pillars and tables and passing through holographic figures.  A number of the fleeing patrons were caught in the crossfire and were cut down as they ran.  Instinctively, Steven ducked for cover behind the tables fringing the dance floor and the others did likewise.

              ‘How the hell do we get out of here?’ yelled Isaacs over the sound of gunfire and screams and the music that was still playing over everything.  Steven snuck a glance out of cover and loosed off more shots as he spoke.

              ‘I know a way out,’ said Molinelli.  ‘This way,’ he added, pointing to a small, unmarked side door.

              ‘You trust this guy?’ said Isaacs to Steven as more figures appeared behind the main bar and started firing.

              ‘No.  But I don’t think we have any choice,’ Steven replied and snuck off a couple of shots through a gap in their cover.

              There was a series of dull thuds and several smoking canisters landed nearby, hissing with clouds of escaping gas.

              ‘Shit, they’re trying to flush us out,’ Anna ducked as more rounds went overhead. 

              Isaacs raised his head cautiously to take a look at their attackers.  Whilst one group kept up the barrage of fire, two more were working their way around the edges of the room towards them.  He conveyed this to Steven as the tear gas clouds closed in, stinging their eyes, noses and throats and slowly obscuring their view.

              ‘We need to move,’ said Steven, fighting the urge to cough.  ‘Is that door locked?’ he said to Molinelli, who nodded and held up the electronic key.  ‘Shit, okay.  We use the gas as cover.  On three.  One, two....’

              They ran, bullets whistling past them.  As they reached the door, one struck Molinelli in the back.  He stumbled and collapsed instantly, a large, bloody pool already spreading from beneath him.  Sigurdson reached down, grabbed the electronic key card from Molinelli’s thick fingered hand and could see that the life was already ebbing out of him.  The bullet had entered the fat man’s back and had exploded outwards through his chest, ripping a large hole in his heart.

              ‘Leave him!’ ordered Steven.  ‘It’s too late.  Come on!’

              The unmarked door was, fortunately, located in the cover of a thick pillar that afforded them some cover for a few moments.  Sigurdson swiped the key card through the lock, and with relief, they saw the lights next to the lock turn green in response.  It was then that the enemy began to charge.  As one, the black armoured figures started to run towards them, bowling over those foolish enough to still be in the way of the stampede.  Boots thudded on the sprung dance floor.

              ‘Up the stairs!’ yelled Steven, loosing off a series of accurate shots that felled charging figures as the others scrambled through the door and began to clamber up the stairs behind it.  The stairs were narrow and steep, only wide enough for one person.  Isaacs and Anna went first and quickly reached the top.  Steven was mid-way up when he noticed that Sigurdson was lingering at the bottom, frantically trying to find a way to lock the door behind them.  It was a fatal error.